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A weekend of singing music for Christmas, in vocal ensembles and choirs.
Facilitator: Owain Park & The Gesualdo Six
For centuries Christmas and the surrounding seasons have inspired composers to new heights of invention. The repertoire chosen for this course will reach across the ages: from the eternal beauty of the Tudor church right up to the twenty-first century.
Limited Earlybird places – now sold out. Standard priced places still available.
If you would like to book a shared room, please contact Cathy via info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk or call 01453 759 034
Event time: Fri 13th Dec 2024 at 4:00pm - Sun 15th Dec 2024 at 4:00pm
- Ensemble and choral singing
- Vocal techniques
- Christmas music
- A glorious concert on Friday evening
- Nourishing meals in a retreat-like setting
What You Will Gain
- Performance confidence
- Technical knowledge
- Ensemble repertoire knowledge
- Experience of music from the medieval to the 21st Century
"Pure in tone, intonation impeccable, the Gesualdo Six with precision and fluency, every line of polyphony audible."
- Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian
"From the opening phrase...to the last note...the music is flawlessly performed."
- Clare Stevens, Choir and Organ Magazine
"The singing was so refined an perfectly balanced we could really relish the tiny details that made the expressive worlds of each composer so distinctive"
- Ivan Hewitt, Daily Telegraph
The Course
Over the course of the weekend, Owain Park and The Gesualdo Six will offer engaging, informative and fun workshops for musicians, focusing on Christmas music from across the ages.
This weekend follows on from recent successful projects at the Cork International Choral Festival; in Australia at the Melbourne Recital Centre and Adelaide’s UKARIA; together with vocal workshops in St Andrews Scotland, Hobart Tasmania, and Yellowknife in Canada.
Techniques
The Gesualdo Six will encourage participants to develop their musicianship and singing. They will cover topics from using the body and breath for healthy singing to key ensemble skills, and will present on a variety of technical areas including vocal technique and diction in ensemble singing, and emotional expression.
The Gesualdo Six will actively demonstrate proper posture, breathing, and vowel matching techniques used in their own performance preparation. They will also illustrate various ideas by performing excerpts of pieces integrated with spoken presentations.
Join The Gesualdo Six for a fabulous weekend of festive singing celebrations!
Hawkwood
Hawkwood is a stunning Grade II listed 19th Century country house, surrounded by 42 acres of sustainably managed woodland, farmland, and gardens. Set in the heart of the Cotswolds – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – it is a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. With a diverse selection of nearly 150 courses, there’s plenty to choose from, including courses in transformative leadership, future thinking, inner life, music and the arts. Our programme of courses is led by experienced tutors and leaders in their fields.
What Is Included
Both residential and non-residential rates are available. Residential options are fully inclusive with all meals provided. Non-residential options include suppers, lunches and all refreshments and exclude B&B.
Additional Activities
Mindful walking through our woodland trails
Meditate in our Woodland Sanctuary
Go on a hike and explore the Cotswolds AONB
Discover surrounding charming market towns
Price Options
£327 Earlybird Non-Residential
£387 Earlybird Residential Shared
£429 Earlybird Residential Single
£385 Non-Residential
£455 Residential Shared
£505 Residential Single
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Practical Information
Arrival and registration with tea 4pm; the course starts with supper at 6.30pm. The course ends on Sunday with afternoon tea at 4pm.
The Gesualdo Six
The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Parks. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the ensemble formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals across the UK, Europe, Canada, North America and Australia. Notable highlights include a concert as part of the distinguished Deutschlandradio Debut Series, debut at Wigmore Hall in 2021, and collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet, London Mozart Players, Luxmuralis, William Barton and Matilda Lloyd.
Owain Park (Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers) is a conductor, composer and singer. His compositions are published by Novello, and have been performed internationally by ensembles including the Tallis Scholars and the Aurora Orchestra. While at Cambridge University he studied orchestration with John Rutter, before undertaking a Masters degree in composition.
As a conductor, he maintains a busy schedule of projects with ensembles including the BBC Singers, the Academy of Ancient Music, Cappella Cracoviensis, and Cambridge Chorale. His own vocal consort, The Gesualdo Six, tour extensively around the world and have been lauded for their interpretation of renaissance and contemporary music. Owain is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), and was awarded the Dixon Prize for improvisation, having been Senior Organ Scholar at Wells Cathedral and Trinity College Cambridge.
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Hawkwood is an educational charity providing courses, facilitating training and offering venue hire, set in a stunning location in the Cotswolds.
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