A Taste of Venice 2007
- with Ivor Setterfield -

19 August - 25 August 2007

Our week in Conegliano near Venice, will be directed this year  by Ivor Setterfield, Director of the New London Singers and London Barts Choir. We will work on a programme of Venetian and other Italian music in preparation for a concert which will form part of the Conegliano Summer  Festival.

Conegliano is an attractive town with splendid palazzos, a castle, wine terraces, arches and porticos. The city  is about an hour from the historic centre of Venice by train and is on the fast, regular Venice to Udine railway line. 

                      

Conegliano - view from the station                                   Conegliano at night

Conegliano railway station is only a few minutes walk from our rehearsal venue, adjoining the cathedral. The centre is medieval and very small so we will find it easy to bump into other members of the group in the bars and cafes of XX Settembre – the old high street.

The course runs from Sunday evening, when we meet for introductions and dinner, to the following Saturday evening where we will perform our new repertoire at a concert in Conegliano cathedral. We sing for approximately five hours each day with breaks for coffee and a long siesta in the afternoon. Thursday will be a half-day when people may choose to go into Venice or explore a little further afield. There will also be an evening meal in Venice and an informal 'sing'

 

Who is the course for?
This course is for experienced choral singers of all ages. Participants should have reasonable sight-reading ability or be prepared to study the music beforehand, although nobody is expected to be note-perfect. Ivor is experienced in working with singers at all levels and creates an atmosphere that is focused but relaxed. Rehearsal CDs will be provided and sent out with the music.

It also helps if you enjoy good food, good company and the occasional glass of wine. We all eat together in the evening in a selection of different restaurants where everyone will soon get to know each other. Our singing holidays have proved equally popular with people travelling on their own and singing couples. Non-singing partners are also able to join us (subject to numbers) paying only for evening meals.

 

The Music
"The programme I have chosen combines some of the best Venetian choral writing with complementary pieces drawn from other musical traditions. Antonio Lotti was one of a long line of musicians employed at Venice's Saint Marks Cathedral in the 18th century. 

We will explore his rich a cappella settings of 'Crucifixus', which use the text from the central part of the creed from the Roman Catholic Mass, and build in harmonic intensity from the chromatic harmony of the six-part through the striking dissonance of the famous eight part and climaxing in the monumental dense textures of the glorious ten-part setting. 

 Ave maria (Cornysh)
Adoramus te Christe, Ave maris Stella (Monteverdi)
Crucifixus a 6, a 8, a 10 (Lotti) Ave Maria (Parsons)
Ave Dulcissima Maria, Maria mater Dei (Gesualdo)
Hymn to the mother of God (Tavener)

"These settings will be juxtaposed with works on a Marian theme, both British and Venetian, from composers such as Cornysh, Tavener, Monteverdi & Gesualdo."

                                                                                                                                   Ivor Setterfield

 

Ivor Setterfield
Ivor setterfield is founder and Music Director of New London Soloists Orchestra which comprises some of the capital's most talented and exciting young musicians. He also directs the acclaimed New London Singers and Barts Choir, one of the City of London's largest cultural organisations. He has made several recordings with the New London Singers, including Rachmaninov Vespers and Frank Martin Mass for double choir with Pizzetti Messa di Requiem.

Ivor has conducted a number of leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hanover Band, the City of London Sinfonia, and the London Mozart Players performing both orchestral and choral repertoire. He regularly performs at major London venues including the Royal Albert Hall and the South Bank.

Ivor has also recently appeared in the Channel Five TV Documentary series "The Singing Estate.

 

What does it cost?
The course fee is payable in two stages - £130 on registration and £195 no later than four weeks before arrival in Italy. This covers tuition, the concert, and five evening meals but not transport or accommodation. Music - which can be kept - will cost £20.00 You will also need to organise your own travel and health insurance.

We have been offered good discount rates by the two largest and best located hotels  but there are also some smaller hotels, a couple of B&B’s and - further out - some Agriturismos. We will send out a list and a map of the town to all registered singers. The rehearsal venue is near the Piazza Cima, the main square of Conegliano.

 

Getting there
The nearest international airports are Venice and Treviso but there are also good fast rail links from Bologna and Verona. Conegliano is also accessible by road although parking in the town centre is restricted. There is a useful website, with a picture gallery at the bottom of the Home Page at www.conegliano2000.it

 
Travel and health insurance
Insurance is not included so we recommend that all singers take out their own cover.
You should also bring an EHIC form (replaces E111) with you.

To apply for a place on the course, please print out and submit the registration form.

Need more information?
Please contact Nick Couchman (nick@runbysingers.org) or Jane Osgathorp (jane@runbysingers.org) or ring Nick during office hours on 01438 812100.