About the Weekend


This weekend offers you the opportunity to play in a recorder orchestra in a relaxed, friendly and supportive environment. 

Orchestras are an increasingly popular type of recorder ensemble and it's not hard to see why.  Large scale orchestration gives recorder players the opportunity to be part of exciting textures and colours that quartets and quintets simply can't achieve.  These days all genres of music from very early right through to minimalist are being explored by players with a wide range of experience. 

However, not everyone lives near to an established recorder orchestra, or is able to commit to attending regular rehearsals with an orchestra.  This weekend course offers the opportunity to experience playing in an orchestra in a beautiful location with one of the very best conductors in the UK today.  Equally, if you are an experienced recorder orchestra player you may welcome the opportunity to play in a different section or to hone your orchestral skills.

This is the fith Recorder Orchestra weekend run by recorders@plymouth.  Players of all abilities are welcome - if you can keep up in recorders@plymouth or SRP meetings you will enjoy this weekend.  The recorder orchestra will consist of eleven sections: Sopranino, Descant 1 and 2, Treble 1 and 2, Tenor 1 and 2, Bass 1 and 2, Great Bass and Contra Bass.  Each section of the orchestra will be led by a strong player with extensive orchestral experience to give confidence to less experienced players.  This model has worked well at our previous weekend courses.

Players indicate which instruments they would prefer to play in the orchestra on their enrolment form.  During the weekend players remain within their elected orchestral section for all the orchestral playing sessions with Helen Hooker. Many players particularly enjoy this aspect of the weekend as it allows them to grow in confidence in encouraging surroundings.  Steve Marshall's sessions provide a contrast to Helen's orchestral sessions and players are free to choose to play different recorders in Steve's sessions.

Shortly after the closing date for enrolments (24th December) applicants will be sent further details about the weekend including a map to find the venue and confirmation of the orchestral section in which they will be playing.    All music will be provided for the weekend.  
About the Conductors

Both Helen and Steve are well-known to recorder players throughout the UK, and beyond.  Both being superlative recorder tutors, they are much in demand for playing days all over the Country. Helen and Steve tutor on the Northern Recorder Course at Easter and the hugely successful Cheltenham Festival which takes place in August each year.