Cellos at Belle Serre

Three very happy and successful summer cello courses at Belle Serre have just come to an end. Huge thanks to everyone who took part – our cellists, tutors, cooks and helpers – three weeks of beautiful music-making, wonderful food, super concerts, all in great company and, as ever, full of joy and laughter. Here’s a link to photos of the courses on flickr. A l’année prochaine!!  

News just in – announcing a short course for intermediate level cellists: I am holding a long weekend course at Belle Serre in September (arrivals Thursday 15th Sept evening, departures Monday 19th Sept morning) and I would be delighted if you were interested in taking part or if you could pass on the news to fellow cellists who might like to take part.   The course is for intermediate level players (as a guideline, from…

Pianist Pippa Harrison is no stranger to Belle Serre, having played for the cello master classes on the summer courses for the last three summers. With violinist Gemma Sharples and cellist Verity Evanson, the Albany Piano Trio has inspired us with performances at Belle Serre of trios by Haydn, Beethoven, Rebecca Clarke, Charlotte Bray, to name just a few. This year, Pippa is joined by two newcomers to the teaching team, violinist Esther Hopkinson from…

We welcome several new musicians to Belle Serre this summer including cellist Jo Keithley and violinist Ed McCullagh who join our very popular pianist Camille Galinier to coach our  Week 2 cellists in piano trios, cello ensembles and in individual lessons and master classes:

With the summer courses fast approaching and if you’re wondering what’s in store for each of the three July weeks, here’s the first of a series of Belle Serre Bulletins giving you the lowdown on daily activities, events and who’s coming to tutor on the courses. In addition to a jam-packed daily schedule of technique classes, cello clinics, cello ensembles, master classes and individual lessons, plus piano trios with the pros, we regularly invite other…

The lusty birdsong chirruping from flowering hedgerows and hawthorns in the gardens of Belle Serre is most beguiling. It’s that time of year again when the urge to venture outdoors with bow and cello and join in the chit chat with the chiff chaffs just grabs you, and I’m reminded of those wonderful early recordings by the BBC capturing the celebrated cellist Beatrice Harrison duetting with the nightingales in her garden. They took their time…

With the wealth of cello ensemble music available these days, it’s a happy task choosing repertoire for each of the three Cellos at Belle Serre courses this summer. Last year’s superb Casino Royale arrangement for eight cellos by James Barralet took us all, and our audiences, by storm. So, this year, Week 3’s advanced course cellists are taking on a mission which I hope won’t be impossible at all, James’s version of the Mission Impossible…

  With just a few months to go before the summer courses start at Belle Serre, planning for each of the three weeks is in full swing. Some of our cellists are newcomers to the courses, while some return every year for another week of intensive cello study, a cello holiday with a difference amongst players from all over the world united by a passion for playing the cello. Here’s what some of our guests…

One of the unique features of the Cellos at Belle Serre summer courses is the opportunity for each student cellist to play trio chamber music coached by the professionals, with both the violinist and pianist playing within the group. This allows every cellist, whatever their own technical level and experience playing with others, (from those with almost no previous chamber music experience to advanced students and professional cellists tackling the giants of the trio repertoire),…

    Our very first Cellos at Belle Serre Abroad mini course held at the end of November was a resounding success. Belle Serre in Amsterdam was superbly hosted by cellist Willemijn Knödler; we had three days of cello lessons (what a treat for me to teach a great ‘bundle’ of Beethoven, Bach, Ligeti and Garth) and practice in great company, relaxing over delicious meals cooked by Willemijn, and of course, seeing some of the beautiful…