Cellos at Belle Serre

  What a privilege to be a part of a great team of musicians at the International Chamber Music Festival and Academy of Music in Tenerife last week. Huge thanks to the director, violinist Judith Choi Castro for a superb series of concerts and for her brilliant and unflappable organisation of this very happy and successful festival and competition.   We’ll be seeing Judith again later this year when she returns as one of our…

The two summer courses at Belle Serre are almost fully booked but there are still a couple of places left for a wonderful week of intensive, hard-working study in a non-competitive and supportive atmosphere. Come on down to South West France for a cello holiday of a lifetime! The two courses are for intermediate level players and for more experienced cellists: for amateurs, students, teachers and performers – if you’re not sure which course to…

Happy New Year from all of us at Cellos at Belle Serre. We wish you a very happy and successful year ahead, full of joyful music-making. We’re gearing up here for the July 2018 courses and if you’re planning on joining us for one of the summer weeks, please contact me or complete the online booking form as soon as possible – there are just a few places left! We have a great team of…

Come on down to sunny Castres in SW France and enjoy one of our fabulous cello courses at Belle Serre next summer. Bookings will open on this site in mid-November. Watch this space! The dates are: Summer Week 1: Wednesday 11 – Wednesday 18 July 2018              (Week 1 is for intermediate level up to advanced level cellists) Summer Week 2: Saturday 21 – Saturday 28 July 2018    …

I have been invited by the Artistic Director, Judith Choi Castro to participate in the International Chamber Music Festival and Academy of Music, Tenerife in February 2018. I will be attending the Augustìn Ponte International Music Competition as a member of the competition jury from 10-13 February, and from February 14-18 I will be giving cello and chamber music tuition and also offering coaching for cellists wishing to play in sessions for cello ensemble. The festival promises…

“Yet another incredible week at Belle Serre!” Just one of the great feedback messages we have had from this summer’s cellists here at Belle Serre. Our 2017 guests came from as far afield as Spain, Canada, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway and the UK. Here are some more of their comments:  ” I enjoyed the friendship new and old, the music playing as well as the opportunities to advance my skills as an adult cello student. …

Chers amis,   VENEZ NOMBREUX! Violoncelles à Belle Serre   CONCERTS DE VIOLONCELLES   Mardi 11 juillet 18.00 avec Mark Lacey, clarinette, Camille Galinier, piano et Susan Urbita, violoncelle Samedi 22 juillet 18.00 avec Judith Choi Castro, violon, Andrew Wilson-Dickson, piano  et Florian Belbeoch, violoncelle   A l’auditorium du Conservatoire de Musique et de Danse du Tarn, 12 bd Mendès-France, 81100 Castres   Les concerts clôturent les stages intensifs de violoncelle à Belle Serre dirigés par la soliste…

Throwing down the gauntlet? Well, with our twelve cellists at Belle Serre at Week 1 of the Cellos at Belle Serre summer courses, and if we can ‘twist the arms’ of our chamber music tutors, clarinettist Mark Lacey and pianist Camille Galinier to join us on the ribs or table, and perhaps even invite our chef Bob to play the ‘scroll’ or ‘spike’ part, we could have the makings of a challenge to all play…

With study visits and summer cello courses getting under way here at Belle Serre in SW France and cellists flying in from the USA, Canada, Spain, France, Ireland, the UK, Holland and Norway, I’m also very much looking forward to two autumn cello days in the UK, one in Hampstead, North London on Saturday 14th October 2017 and the other in Winchester, Hampshire on Saturday November 18th 2017. Click on these links for full details…

“A brilliant day!” was just one of the very positive messages I received after an intensive and very happy cello day in Cambridge last weekend. Fifteen of us met up for cello ensembles and a technical workout in the morning, followed by an afternoon master class in which four players performed a wide variety of repertoire (some of it new to many of us, including a delightful piece by Arensky and a little known concerto…