Virtual Conservatoire Past Events

For the launch of the Virtual Conservatoire on 8 November we were delighted to welcome:

  • Jazz educator Richard Michael who got everyone grooving and playing by ear. See and hear him teaching online with the rhythm section of Wynton Marsalis’ Band.
  • The Wallace Collection who shared their insights from their recent recording sessions of the brass septets of Prosper-Aginor Mimart, including discussions about the instruments used in the recordings and the challenges of playing music that hasn’t been played in over 120 years.
  • Sandy McGrattan and Stephanie Dyer, who gave an introduction to two of the most important brass instruments of the Renaissance: the ‘sackbut’ (trombone) and cornett.
  • A panel discussion about what playing ‘musically’ really is, what it means to ‘express yourself’, and how you can ‘serve the composers intentionsas well as have interpretive freedom when you perform
  • Sheona White who gave a virtual masterclass to selected tenor horn players.

   

On 20 March, we held our second Virtual Conservatoire:

Yoga, jazz, 19th century music, historical gems, and sonic adventures!

We continued the programme with a multifaceted session delivered by our renowned team of tutors (including the University’s ensemble in residence, The Wallace Collection) and special guests Russell Gray, Tracey Redfern and composer Andrew Knight-Hill. The session was co-promoted with the Royal Irish Academy of Music and New Music Dublin and was one of their launch events for their new initiative to support composers and brass players across the island of Ireland. The session included:

  • Yoga breathing with Shams Abu-Tayeh
  • Playing by ear with jazz pianist Richard Michael
  • Virtual side-by-side play along with The Wallace Collection on music from the 19th century Cyfarthfa Band
  • ‘Ask me anything’ session with Russell Gray and Tracey Redfern
  • Deep dive into some of the most important archives of brass instruments and manuscripts with Stuart Harris Logan from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
  • Sonic adventures in brass: an exploration of contemporary extended techniques (many of which are not as contemporary as we think!), including a session on playing with live electronics and ‘realtime’ synchronised playing online.