The Riverina Summer School for Strings is an annual residential school now running for over 30 years. It attracts between 110 – 120 students every January with students coming from Wagga and the Riverina as well as Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Darwin, Roxby Downs and Tasmania.

It is open to violin, viola, cello, bass and guitar players of all ages, with the majority being under eighteen. The purpose of the school is to enable string players of a wide range of abilities and ages to have the benefit of intensive instruction and practice under the guidance of outstanding musicians and teachers. The school also gives students the opportunity to mix and work with other string players in orchestral and small ensemble settings. During the school, the daily program begins with orchestral rehearsal for all participants followed by sectional rehearsals and electives of chamber music or Gypsy Jazz Fiddlin’. All students are encouraged to participate in lunch-time concerts which are conducted in-house Monday – Friday of the school. The school ends with the Grand Finale Concert in the Civic Theatre when all participants and tutors come together to perform works prepared during the previous six days.

In addition, the school produces the Sounds of Summer concert series each evening during the week of the school. These are fully professional performances given by the tutors presenting significant programs of chamber music and Scottish Fiddle. This is a great opportunity for people in a non-metropolitan centre to hear and see live performances by high quality professional string players and has become a must for serious music goers in this region.

Tagged as: concerts, education, guitar, strings