133 Old Church Road
Claremont
NH 03743
Step far beyond the musical page with this outstanding program that will help you develop your creative and collaborative skills. In this program you will work with internationally acclaimed and well-travelled musicians Dinuk Wijeratne and Nick Halley. An intensive workshop – and using the extraordinary Bach Canons as a foundation for performance, composition and improvisation – with an aim to broaden the skill set and imaginations of all participants. This program will combine group and one-on-one learning tailored to the individual’s goals and interests (including multiple styles of improvisation, composition, and performance techniques). Participants will work on elements of their project in-between meeting times, and the program will culminate in a showcase presenting work created in this weekend workshop. Questions? contact [email protected]
Times for this workshop will be set based on participant groups, and generally consist of 2-3 hours per day for each group.
This project is made possible in part by a grant from the NH State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and is funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.
What to bring: A single line melody you have written (suggested to be 8 bars or more), your instrument of choice, and an inquisitive brain
Who is this for?: Everyone from musicians with a few years of music study under their belt to professional musicians. We’ll have groups and offerings tailored to your levels. Auditors are also welcome. This is a great opportunity for teachers to get professional development hours as well, professionals to explore new areas of musicianship with highly skilled instructors, and for young students to break off the written page.
Showcase: Participants will be able share what they have created at the culminating Showcase for friends, family, and the public on at 6:30pm on the final day.
How much does this cost?: Suggested donation to participate for the entire project is Adults $130 nonmembers/$100 members, students $100 non member / $50 members, and $10 non members / free for members for the rhythm workshop. Auditor’s are suggested to make a contribution of $15 per day. In all cases this is a suggested contribution, and participants will be able offer what they can in the donation basket. We do not want this to be a barrier for those that would like to participate in this amazing opportunity to work with these gifted musicians.
Rhythm Workshop: This is open to musicians of any level (ages 10 and up), and is an off the page exploration of types of complex rhythm; great for young musicians!
This workshop will be offered in 2 groups:
Group A will be aimed at youth participants (students with an intermediate or higher comfort with their instrument, and are middle school age or older). Participants in this group should be comfortable with basic music notation and be able to play a scale on their instrument confidently. Members of this group may ask about also participating in or auditing group B sessions.
Group B will be aimed at advanced students and professional adults. All participants should have a familiarity with their instrument (all types welcome), and a general understanding of basic music theory. Members of this group are welcome to also attend Group A sessions, which will be focusing on additional topics.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Dinuk Wijeratne: The Sri Lankan-born, Canada-based composer-performer Dinuk Wijeratne has been described by the Toronto Star as ‘an artist who reflects a positive vision of our cultural future’, and by the New York Times as ‘exuberantly creative’. His boundary-crossing work sees him equally at home in collaborations with symphony orchestras and string quartets, tabla players and DJs, and takes him to international venues as poles apart as the Berlin Philharmonie and the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Dinuk’s 2016 highlights include JUNO and ECMA wins for his string quartet pieces Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems, and his appointment as Composer-in-Residence of Symphony Nova Scotia.
Dinuk made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004 as a composer, conductor, and pianist, performing with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. A second Carnegie appearance followed in 2009, alongside tabla legend Zakir Hussain. Dinuk has also appeared at the Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Opera Bastille (Paris), Lincoln Center (New York), Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Sri Lanka, Japan, and across the Middle East.
Dinuk grew up in Dubai before taking up composition studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, UK. In 2001, he was invited by Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano to join his studio at New York’s Juilliard School. Dinuk was also composition fellow at the 2002 Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, and was appointed Artist-in-Residence by the Performing Arts Foundation at International House for the 2003/4 season. Conducting studies followed at New York’s Mannes College of Music.
Dinuk has composed specially for almost all of the artists and ensembles with whom he has performed; to name a few: Suzie LeBlanc, Bev Johnston, Tim Garland, John Dankworth, Nikki Iles, Julian Argüelles, Victor Mendoza, Buck 65, Skratch Bastid, Joseph Petric, Nick Halley, Ed Thigpen, Pandit Ramesh Misra, Adrian Spillett, David Jalbert, Kevork Mourad, Mayookh Bhaumik, Yolande Bavan, Christina Courtin, MIR, the Afiara & Cecelia String Quartets, the Apollo Saxophone Quartet, TorQ & 4-Mality Percussion Quartets, McGill Percussion Ensemble, the NY Kathak Ensemble, the New Juilliard Ensemble, Onelight Theatre, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the orchestras of Toronto, Illinois, Windsor, and KwaZulu Natal (South Africa). He continues his collaborative recitals of entirely original works with acclaimed clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, based on their duo album entitled ‘Complex Stories, Simple Sounds’.
A passionate educator, Dinuk has lectured at the universities of Dalhousie, Acadia and Saskatchewan, and is celebrating his tenth season as Music Director of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. He has conducted the orchestras of the National Arts Centre, Thunder Bay, PEI, Scotia Festival Orchestra, and appeared numerous times with Symphony Nova Scotia during his 3-year appointment as Conductor-in-Residence. He is the recipient of the Canada Council Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral conducting; the NS Established Artist Award; NS Masterworks nominations for his Tabla Concerto and piano trio Love Triangle; double Merritt Award nominations; Juilliard, Mannes & Countess of Munster scholarships; the Sema Jazz Improvisation Prize; the Soroptimist International Award for Composer-Conductors; and the Sir John Manduell Prize – the RNCM’s highest student honor. His music and collaborative work embrace the great diversity of his international background and influences.
Nick Halley is a drummer/percussionist, keyboardist, composer, and conductor. As a drummer and world percussionist, Nick has performed and recorded internationally with a wide range of musicians including American icon James Taylor, Oscar Castro-Neves, Maucha Adnet, David McGuinness & Revenge of the Folk Singers, Concerto Caledonia, Jefferson Hamer & Eamon O’Leary, Old Man Luedecke & Tim O’Brien, the Chris Norman Ensemble, various Paul Halley ensembles, Suzie LeBlanc, Theresa Thomason, Diomira with Dinuk Wijeratne & Joseph Petric, and occasionally the Nick Halley Band. The recording Barnum Hill (2008)features Nick and his ensemble performing some of Nick’s original compositions.
