22 – 29 March 2024

“My time as a Britten Pears Young Artist will forever remain with me as a truly special time in my development as a musician. The opportunities offered by the programme are unmatched by any other artist development programme. An absolute life-changer of an artist development programme.” Britten Pears Young Artist (instrumentalist) 2021-22

This course is designed to help early-career, pre-established chamber ensembles with a strong interest in contemporary repertoire. We would expect ensembles on this course to have been working together for over two years, with a serious interest in further exploring new music with some experience playing contemporary repertoire.

This course will be led by some of the world’s most experienced chamber musicians specialising in contemporary music. Four of the course leaders are the members of the Canadian string quartet Quatuor Bozzini. They have been internationally recognised as a daring and original voice in new and experimental music for the last 20 years. Their collaborative approach has brought over 400 commissioned pieces to life as well as a raft of recordings, international touring and their own mentoring programmes for composers and performers. They will work alongside performer and composer Melinda Maxwell. Melinda is principal oboe of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and a frequent guest Principal with orchestras including the London Sinfonietta. Melinda has recorded a number of CDs showcasing contemporary oboe repertoire and has held teaching positions at many of the UK’s conservatoires.

This course will help ensembles develop their contemporary performance practice, meet other ambitious ensembles and receive coaching and masterclasses from some of the world’s most experienced contemporary chamber musicians. In addition to support with existing repertoire, every ensemble will receive a new 5 minute work specially commissioned from a BPYAP alumni composer which will be workshopped and performed during this week. There will be a series of mentoring sessions from industry experts on how to publicise and promote your ensemble, programme concerts, work with promoters and build a sustainable career. This course is designed to challenge and explore what it means to be a chamber ensemble in the 21^st century.

You will need to be able to be at Snape Maltings for the full duration of the course 22 – 29 March 2024. As with all BPYAP courses, there is no fee to attend, we will cover travel costs, accommodation and most meals. Additionally, we have a small budget to provide financial support, including for those who need support with removing barriers to access or childcare costs.

For this course we accept applications from chamber ensembles comprising of strings, wind, piano percussion and brass and minimum 3 and maximum 6 musicians. This course is for existing ensembles that have been formed for at least 2 years with interest in new music. We are accepting applications internationally, you do not have to be a resident of the UK or EU in order to apply for this course.

applications now closed