Dartmoor Strings
A Youth String Ensemble – Ages 10-18, Grades 4-8+, two afternoons a term in Ashburton
A dynamic string group
Run by professional string players and tutors, Lindsay Braga and Andrew Gillett, and supported by South West Music School, we want to give young players (aged 10-18, of grade 5+) the chance to develop the skills of more advanced ensemble playing. The group aims to explore sight-reading, confidence, listening, performance skills and technique and we hope players will have fun making music and friends in an encouraging atmosphere.
Dates 2023-24
We hold a whole afternoon workshop twice a term and send you the music and helpful practice videos in advance so that you will feel more confident and we can make the most of our sessions.
We are aware that many young people are busy with lots of commitments and we would like to offer another option that provides a high level of musical education that isn’t a weekly commitment.
CHAMBER DAYS – SUMMER TERM 2024
For the summer term we would like to run chamber days for our string players to give them the chance to play quintets, quartets and trios with other young players and our professional string chamber tutors.
Sat 27th April 1.30-4pm St.Lawrence Chapel, Ashburton
Sat 22nd June 1.30-4.15pm St.Lawrence Chapel, Ashburton
There will be a short performance at 3.30pm for family and friends on each day to showcase the chamber works from that day and a piece by the tutors.
Location
We use 2 different spaces in Ashburton.
- Ashburton Arts Centre, 15 West Street, Ashburton, Devon, TQ13 7DT
- St.Lawrence Chapel, 21 St Lawrence Ln, Ashburton, Newton Abbot TQ13 7DD.
Car Parking is available for both in the centre of Ashburton, just around the corner.
Cost
Just £15 a session for a small group with expert string tuition.
Come along and try a session. Only 2 workshops a term.
Music
For the Autumn and Spring terms of 23-24 we were working towards our concert on 10th March. We invited 3 young, talented soloists to join us to playing Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto in G minor, 1st mvt and Bach’s piano concerto no 3 in D major 1st mvt alongside some world music and jazzy string pieces.
Supported by South West Music School
South West Music School is a charity working with talented young instrumentalists, singers and composers aged 8 – 19 years in the South West of England.
Lindsay Braga
Chamber Player and Violin Teacher
Lindsay Braga studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Richard Deakin, and carried on her studies afterwards with Wen Zhou Li. Over the next twelve years, she worked as a first violinist with many orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Welsh National Opera, the English National Ballet, the Goldberg Ensemble and Manchester Camerata. Since her move to Devon, Lindsay has become a sought after chamber music player, performing concerts all over the South West.
Lindsay has always had a passion for teaching and has built up a healthy private studio in Totnes in Devon, teaching students from three year old beginners to diploma standard. She also runs ceilidhs with wider groups of young string players and is a tutor for Bryanston International Summer School.
Andrew Gillett
Chamber Musician and Violin/Viola Teacher
Andrew Gillett has been teaching violin and viola for over 30 years, in schools and privately. He has also specialised in coaching chamber music groups and string quartets.
He studied at the Royal College of Music and in Germany before embarking on a career performing in orchestras, chamber orchestras, contemporary music groups, chamber ensembles, and conducting.
He is the viola player in the Haldon Quartet and Divertimento String Quartet and plays baroque viola in Devon Baroque. Encouraging young people to enjoy music making together is a central purpose of his professional life.
