Singing Courses for 2010

La Maison Verte's owners, Anne Roberts and Francis Steele, run courses in Renaissance singing under the banner title, Verte Musique.  This also acts as an umbrella title for some other concerts presented by us at La Maison Verte.  

Our aim is to provide opportunities for singers with varying levels of expertise and experience to improve their confidence in singing polyphonic music. In 2010, there are two ways you can participate in Verte Musique activities.

1. Tuition for your own group/choir residencies/short tours

2. Renaissance Consort Workshops (for individual singers)

These opportunities are explained below.

Francis is musical director of Verte Musique and was, for thirty years, a professional vocalist, singing bass for such groups as The Tallis Scholars and The Sixteen. Since 2003 he has developed a world-wide reputation as a vocal group coach/tutor and has also produced many CDs. He enjoys working with less experienced singers as much as with professionals.

Tuition for your own Group/Choir residencies

You can bring your group or choir to work on your own repertoire with Francis Steele or use his miraculous library of Renaissance music. The aim of such a week might be simply to explore or rehearse repertoire, but it could also be focussed on putting together a concert performance or recording a CD which Francis could help you produce.

If you would like to do this, contact us via this website telling how many people you would like to bring, what you would like to work on, and when (we may be able to tailor dates to suit you): we will then quote you a price for accommodation and food.

Renaissance Consort Workshops

The Renaissance Consort Workshops are week-long opportunities for singers, experienced at both sight-reading and consort singing (one-to-a-part, mostly unconducted) to immerse themselves the gorgeous music of two of the most exciting centuries of composition.

We accept up to 18 students per course (selected to ensure, as far as possible, homogineity of experience and expertise) and we work daily in groups of three to ten singers. The tutors therefore have an opportunity to get to know individual voices intimately, allowing them to help you to discover better ways of singing, performing and interpreting this glorious repertoire.

If you want a friendly environment to build your skills and confidence in one-to-a-part singing, and experience working without a conductor (our tutors don’t “direct”, they are much more interested in encouraging you to develop your own performance), then these are the courses for you.

To help you distinguish which course might be most appropriate for you, we have labelled them according to the minimum level of experience required.

Level 1: for very experienced singers and excellent sight-readers, perhaps used to running or at least performing regularly in consort (one-to-a-part) groups. People attracted to this level will be confident soloists and looking to improve their understanding of ensemble singing and performance.

Level 2: for good singers and sight-readers with some experience of consort singing. You'll enjoy singing one-to-a-part, unconducted even if you haven't had much experience of it and you'll be looking to improve your consort technique, your confidence and understanding of consort singing.

Prices

All courses take place at La Maison Verte and prices are inclusive of accommodation, full board (including wine with meals) and tuition. For the Renaissance Consort Workshops, music is provided from our own library. Courses will cost €975 for seven days. Prices are in euros.

2010 Dates

If you plan to bring your own group to La Maison Verte for private rehearsal/tuition, please contact us, and we may be able to tailor dates to suit you.

The dates for the Renaissance Consort Workshops in 2010 are

12-19 June - Level 2
4-11 Sept - Level 1

If you would like to receive information please contact us with your email via this website.

Tutors

Here's a list of the tutors we have worked with:

Francis Steele Musical Director: The Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen, The Gabrieli Consort

Andrew Carwood: Cardinall's Musick

Robert Harre Jones: Orlando consort

Soma Szabo: Banchieri Singers

Robert Hollingworth: I Fagiolini

Jeremy Summerly: Oxford Camerata

Berty Rice: Polyphony

Erik van Nevel: Currende

Greg Skidmore: 1607 Ensemble

Ashley Stafford: Tallis Scholars, Hilliard Ensemble

Anthony Rooley: Consort of Musicke

Philip Cave: Magnificat

Paul Brough:  Hanover Band

If anything above is unclear, or you would like to discuss any any aspect of our work here, call us on 0033 (0)4 67 24 88 52, or email us via this website.