Course details:

This year for the the first time we will be organising a summer residential course in Salisbury. The venue is Sarum College, which is in the centre of Salisbury, opposite the cathedral. The weekend will run from Friday evening until Sunday tea time.

Sarah Deere-Jones will be teaching ensemble-playing and technique sessions on both Saturday and Sunday; Mark Harmer will run a 'Playing Together' workshop on the Saturday; and Steph West will run a workshop on singing with the harp, on Sunday. Participants will be able to select in advance which sessions they would like to attend on each day, subject to space in each group.

All ages and abilities welcome, other than absolute beginners. The course is intended to stimulate interest and enthusiasm for the non-pedal harp in a relaxed and informal atmosphere, although pedal harps are also welcome.

Arrival time is from 5.30 pm on the Friday evening, and the weekend ends at about 4 pm on Sunday.

If you would like to hire a harp for the weekend please contact us.

Tutors:

Sarah Deere-Jones :

Sarah Deere-Jones is a classically trained harpist with a variety of musical experience and interests. Whilst still performing on concert harp, she has in recent years been concentrating on traditional music, playing Celtic, English and her own compositions for gut strung and wire strung Celtic harps.

She also runs the Cornwall Harp Centre.

For this course she will be teaching ensemble playing and some technique on both Saturday and Sunday.

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Mark Harmer :

Mark plays in a Celtic Band as well as performing as a solo instrumentalist, and writes and record music for the harp, and has run workshops for Morley Harps and at the Stamford Harp Festival.

He believes music is something everyone can create and perform, and part of his work is about giving people the rare opportunity to create as a group and explore new ways of thinking together.

Mark will be giving a workshop on Saturday entitled ‘Playing Together' – to encourage you to take your harp-playing a stage further by joining in with other musicians.

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Steph West :

Steph is passionate about the folk music of the British Isles and has always been surrounded by music. Her first studies were classical violin, piano, and voice. When she started studying Early Music, she was offered a medieval harp to play, and rapidly set about absorbing this new and wonderful instrument.

Steph now works full time playing and teaching, in Oxford and Hertfordshire.

For this weekend Steph will be giving a workshop on singing with the harp on the Sunday.

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Location:

Sarum College, Salisbury is situated in the beautiful and historic Close of Salisbury Cathedral, and offers welcoming hospitality and comfortable accommodation to groups, large or small, and to individual guests.

Single, twin and double rooms are available, including some ensuite. The course fee includes accommodation and all meals.

Salisbury Cathedral and the town centre of Salisbury are both within a short walk from the College.

By rail, the nearest station is Salisbury , which is a short taxi ride from Sarum College

Booking:

A booking form can be downloaded here, or contact us for more information.