We hope to confirm arrangements with Summer Music on the Shannon to bring world class musicians to Bruff in the coming months. Also do you know of a young musician who would benefit from participation in the World Class Summer Music School. Contact us (Bruff Cultural and Arts Society) and we might be able to help you! Read on.............
Summer Music on the Shannon 2009:
World Class Summer Music School
Summer Music on the Shannon (SMS), established in 1994 by Clare Music Makers in Ennis, Co. Clare, invites instrumental and vocal students, ages 8 to adult, to become participants in its 16th consecutive season. With over 20 concerts in Counties Clare and Limerick, SMS is one of the largest and most successful classical summer music school festivals in Europe, which each year attracts over 200 professional musicians and music students of all ages from at least 16 countries and four continents.
SMS is internationally acclaimed in that there is, uniquely, no barrier to admission based on level of ability and no audition is required for admission to any of the Orchestral Instrument, Piano or Youth Opera Programmes. Children wishing to become part of this year’s opera production, ‘The Mermaid’ by Carl Davis, need not have had any previous musical training or experience. Young musicians playing orchestral and band instruments, or piano, only require ensemble experience or lessons for a minimum of one year.
The Instrumental Programme commences on Tuesday, August 4th (following the August Bank Holiday) and concludes on Sunday, August 16th with all musicians and students appearing on the stage of the University Concert Hall in a SMS 2009 Festival Finale celebration concert. Piano students will arrive at SMS on Monday, July 27th, one week earlier in order for them to attend master classes to be given by renowned performer and teacher, John Perry, from Los Angeles. They may register in the SMS Piano Programme for two or three weeks. The Youth Opera Theatre Programme commences on Monday, July 20th and concludes at the end of four weeks with fully-staged performances, with orchestra, of this year’s productions in UCH and theatres in nearby communities.
Students in all programmes may select from a wide range of classes and activities, including individual and class Lessons, Ensembles (orchestra, string, wind, brass, percussion, jazz, choir), Chamber Music, Trad Music, Art, Set and Costume Making, English as a Second Language plus Supervised Swimming at the UL Swimming Pool. Classes commence each day at 9.00am and conclude at 4.30pm, followed by short student recitals and, on most evenings, performances by faculty and/or students.
Highlighting the SMS summer school and festival will be the second visit of Carl Davis, C.B.E. (Hon.) acclaimed as one of the most gifted and versatile conductor/composers in the world today. Following on last year’s successful performances of his opera Peace, Carl Davis will be in Limerick this coming summer to supervise the production of The Mermaid, another of his extremely popular operas for young people. The Mermaid is based on the enchanting tale, The Little Mermaid, by Hans Christian Anderson.
In order to provide more opportunities for advanced vocalists this year, the SMS Opera Theatre will also be presenting a wonderfully humorous one-act production. Bernice Bobs Her Hair is based on the well-known tale by F.Scott Fitzgerald, with libretto by SMS 2009 Opera Director, John Gardyne, music by Matthew Miller and orchestration by Bruce Dunn. John is a Director, Writer and Producer with over twenty years experience in London’s West End and in leading opera houses throughout England. He is particularly well-known in European and Australian professional and amateur theatre companies for his best-selling book, Producing Musicals: A Practical Guide, published in 2004.
The superlative international faculty of thirty-six 2009 instrumental teachers will be joined by a number of musicians coming to Limerick for the first time. These include: David Bucknall, prominent solo cellist from London; Alex Nichol, double bass, formerly with the Manchester Hallé and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras; Gene Ramsbottom, clarinet instructor at the University of British Columbia in Canada and Principal Clarinet of the CBC Chamber Orchestra; Tim Brown, Principal Horn with the BBC Symphony and Dennis Miller, Principal Tuba player with the Montreal Symphony. All of the students attending SMS will not only get to meet and receive lessons from our illustrious faculty; they will also have the rare opportunity to play alongside them in each of the weekend Festival concerts,
. The application deadline is June 15th. Brochures and application forms are available at Clare Music Makers, Bank Place, Ennis or by calling 065 708 7566. Information and application forms are also available on the SMS website:
www.summermusicontheshannon.com
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