There is a wide variety of classes to choose from throughout the week, from vocal lessons, acting classes and Lieder classes, to cabaret class, language coachings, and many more.
Master Sessions
Intensive, 30 minute, one-to-one sessions designed for singers ready to explore their repertoire at an advanced level. Please bring one or two pieces fully prepared for in-depth work; repertoire may be requested in advance.
John Mark Ainsley, Marie McLaughlin, Ann Murray, Nicky Spence, Joan Rodgers, and Beth Taylor
Song and Repertoire
30 minute, one-to-one classes with specialist coaching in specific repertoire and styles.
American Song: Dylan Perez
Art Song: Malcolm Martineau
Cabaret Class: Linda Ormiston
English Song: Will Vann
French Mélodie: Robin Bowman
Opera and Vocal Coaching: Caroline Dowdle, Martin Pickard, Jo Ramadan, Sergey Rybin, and Alice Turner
Operatic Masterclass: John Fisher
Late Romantic Repertoire: Catherine Wyn-Rogers
Russian Song: Sergey Rybin
Sacred and Baroque Repertoire: Lorna Anderson
Shakespeare in Song: Jacquie Crago
The Art of Lieder: Richard Jackson
Vocal Lessons
30 minute, one-to-one sessions tailored to your individual needs, with a focus on vocal technique, healthy and sustainable singing, confidence, and overall vocal development. Sessions can be shaped around specific technical challenges or other areas you would like to explore.
Christine Cairns, Wilma MacDougall, and Russell Smythe
Duos and Collaboration
Develop musical partnership, communication and performance with a pianist or fellow singer through duo or chamber music repertoire.
Accompanists and Duos: Jo Ramadan
Chamber Music for Voices: Lorna Anderson and Richard Jackson
Performing as a Duo: Alice Turner
Skills for Singers
Develop the practical skills that support confident, independent and informed singing, from diction and IPA to effective learning and preparation.
Acting for Singers: Jacquie Crago
Command the Stage: Donald Maxwell
Effective Learning Techniques: Ingrid Sawers
Spanish Diction: Asier Rodriguez Saiz
Unlocking IPA: Chad Vindin
Advanced and Project Classes
Opera Scenes: Linda Ormiston & Donald Maxwell (directors) Martin Pickard & Susanna Stranders (conductors)
There is no fixed repertoire for Opera Scenes. The repertoire is carefully chosen each year to suit the voices, experience and artistic interests of successful applicants, which allows us to curate the scenes to the individual voices, strengths and artistic potential of the participants.
Song Cycles
- French with Robin Bowman – Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées;
- American with Dylan Perez – Bernstein’s I Hate Music
- Spanish with Asier Rodriguez Saiz – selections for Granados’s Tonadillas en Estilo Antigüo
Want to know more about some of our classes?
Shakespeare in Song – Led by expert coach Jacquie Crago, whose work includes extensive experience with the Royal Shakespeare Company, this class explores Shakespeare-related repertoire in song, focusing on musical expression, dramatic intention, and performance clarity. Any repertoire in English is welcome.
Command the Stage with Donald Maxwell – A performance-focused class designed to help singers translate vocal technique into compelling dramatic presence. Donald will help singers learn to inhabit the stage with confidence and ensure their arias communicate with impact, both vocally and dramatically. Whether you want to make your mark on your next audition or simply don’t know what to do with your hands and arms while you’re singing, this class covers all aspects of performance.
Effective Learning Techniques – Explores the tools for more productive practice, ultimately leading to greater confidence in performance or lessons, and greater musical fulfilment. Learn the best strategy for tackling new pieces and repertoire from scratch, how to organise your practice sessions for maximum gain and efficiency, or tips for memorising. Singers or pianists are welcome but please note that this is not a vocal technique session. Bring repertoire that you’re working on with problem areas, or something that you want to start learning. Whether a short song, an aria or a full role, all sessions are tailored to your specific needs.
Unlocking IPA – An introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet designed specifically for singers. This class covers IPA basics, how to use it effectively in practice, and how to translate phonetic clarity into confident, expressive singing.
Opera Scenes – An intensive programme where students are assigned extracts from operas. Throughout the week you will receive coachings from our staff pianists, music rehearsals with conductors, stage rehearsals with directors, culminating in a performance on the final day of the course. There will be coachings and rehearsals each day of the course to prepare you for the Opera Scenes Showcase, but you are expected to arrive at the course with your scenes memorised. IMPORTANT: If you are applying for Opera Scenes, you must submit a recording in advance of the course.
Ensemble classes – Participants will be assigned to small groups of duos, trios, or quartets and allocated repertoire by the class teachers in advance of the course. A great way to work with other students on repertoire by Brahms, Schubert, Mendelssohn and more!
Click Here to see this year’s teaching faculty.