International Summer Music Academy Solo Instrumental

Course Information

For violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano and ensemble

Lake District Summer Music is a closely integrated International Festival and Summer Music Academy. Set in the heart of the inspirational English Lake District this course provides special opportunities for musicians pursuing a professional career in music. Meet colleagues, broaden horizons and learn from some of the most distinguished professionals. Last year we welcomed 100 instrumentalists and ensembles from 24 countries to our summer schools.

LDSM International Summer School offers:

• Full daily programme of lessons and classes
• Become a LDSM Young Artist and perform in our International Festival. These concerts have led to further engagements around the UK.
• Join our International Community and enjoysocialising with Festival Artists and Tutors in a friendly and welcoming summer academy campus.

Thrilling Festival Concerts
Listen to some of the most prestigious performers in nightly concerts. Many are your tutors during the day. Public masterclasses provide more experience and opportunity for you to voice your own ideas.

Inspiring Coaching with leading International Artists
The full daily timetable includes individual lessons, instrumental classes, ensemble coaching. Exchange ideas, attend open lessons, enjoy festival concerts, form a chamber group. Open classes give you the opportunity to benefit from the wealth of expertise in the faculty.

Career-enhancing Festival Opportunities
Gain experience of performing in a supportive public arena in our LDSM Young Artist concerts offering opportunity for soloists and chamber groups. This is your chance to excel and begin to build your reputation. Past student performances have led to concert engagements with other promoters.

Great Facilities and a Stunning Location
Good tutorial rooms, quality practice and concert pianos, a specialised music library, comfortable accommodation, good food - all set in an inspiring campus at the heart of one of the world's most beautiful locations.

Bursaries
The LDSM bursary fund is established by private donations for the benefit of young musicians. Bursaries, if awarded, are subject to available funds. You must provide clear information on your bursary application form and financial referees.

ISMA Course Options

The International Summer Music Academy offers students a varied and rich musical experience.
The daily schedule allows for:

• chamber music groups to work with different festival artists;
• pianists to take different repertoire to different tutors;
• cellists to rotate between different tutors in the faculty.

All lessons, unless advised otherwise, are open for course applicants to observe. We strongly recommend that students benefit from this opportunity to observe as many lessons as possible.

Course Content

Solo Instrumental Course

Solo instrumentalists are scheduled to receive 40-45' individual lessons every other day from top international performers and professors. Individual teachers will structure their own timetable to cover the students' lessons in their class.

Flexibility in the daily schedule allows for most solo instrumentalists to gain the benefit of contact with different instrumental tutors. Generally violinists are allocated to the classes of individual tutors. It is advised that you provide CD/DVDs of your past concerts or copies of an audition tape with your application.

Performance Opportunities

Dedicated concerts in our International Festival specifically profile ISMA chamber ensembles and soloists. Such "LDSM Young Artist" concerts, as well as masterclasses,are public events within an International Festival. ISMA students are offered these opportunities on the recommendation of faculty tutors and artists.

These public performance opportunities regularly lead to professional engagements offered by other promoters and festivals.

Many students will also have the opportunity to perform in one of our two large ensembles alongside professional
Festival artists, in chamber music repertoire learned and performed in 3-4 rehearsals.

A new strand of informal late night performance opportunities will be introduced into the International Festival programme in 2010 and will be open to all ISMA students. This will be the ideal time to try out new repertoire.

Students wishing to participate in the LDSM Young Artist series should advise LDSM early with repertoire intended for performance in the International Festival.