About the Course and Our Tutors
- Course Director - Joanna Welsh
- Course Administrator - Norman Cox
- Course Consultant - Jeff King
During the course there will be two rehearsals each day with the full orchestra.
In between there will be sectional rehearsals with professional tutors who are specialists in the particular instruments. The tutors below were the tutors for the 2023 course but we are very much hoping that they will all be available again for the 2024 cours.
The Course Tutors
- Course Director - Joanna Welsh
- Flutes and Full Orchestra Conductor - Alastair Hume
- Woodwind - Sarah Abbott
- Saxophone - James Rawlinson
- Strings - Becky Welsh, Matthew Fairman
- >Brass - Toby Carswell
- Percussion - David Waller
Joanna Welsh - Course Director
Joanna discovered the joy of teaching quite by chance after having spent her early 20s producing two musically gifted children, James and Becky. She planned to make a career in classical singing after taking an external performers diploma. Fate had other ideas and she has been lucky enough to have been teaching woodwind and singing in and around Dorset for the past 35 years.
Over the years she has helped to nurture the love of music in hundreds of adults and children alike. She formed her own flute band - 'Magicflutes' over 25 years ago, followed 7 years later by 'Windbreaks', the wind band, and she formed our current weekly community concert band 'Soundwave Sinfonia' in 2015. We have been running 'Musical Chairs Summer School' since 2010. Thanks to my dedicated team last years 'Musical Chairs Summer School' was a greater success than we dared to hope for and we look forward to an even better summer school this year.
James Rawlinson - Saxophone Tutor
James is began playing clarinet at the age of 9 under the guidance of Christchurch based woodwind legend Alan Melly. Very soon James was playing saxophone and flute and was fortunate enough to tour with various youth orchestras around the world. Destinations included France, Germany, Denmark, Russia, Czechia and others.
After gaining a saxophone scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music he returned to Bournemouth to begin teaching and playing in various ensembles. James was one of the founding members of the Swing Unlimited group as well as starting his own JazzSmartworkshops. James teaches woodwind in his private studio in Bournemouth as well as at various prep schools in the Dorset and Hampshire area. Current projects include The Red Fez Orchestra (1920s Dance Band), The Forza Saxophone Quartet, The Boogie Bumpers (Jump Blues Band).
James has always aimed to inspire budding musicians young and old and has a list of pupils who have gained entry at music conservatoires such as The Guildhall School of Music, The Royal Academy, The Royal Northern School of Music, The Royal Welsh School of Music and others.
Sarah Abbott - Woodwind Tutor
Sarah Abbott is an established local instrumental coach, having nearly 30 years experience teaching clarinet, saxophone, flute and piano in schools and privately. She has played in various bands and ensembles since the age of 10 and performs regularly with Liquorice Clarinet Quartet, Westbourne Orchestral Society and Jazzmo (a jazz quartet) as well as playing in the pit for local theatre companies.
She also runs her own training band, No Strings Attached, which rehearses weekly and performs as well as putting on their own concerts twice a year.