School of Music

Workshops and Masterclasses

The School organises workshops and masterclasses to enhance the student experience in composition and performance. These enable both undergraduate and postgraduate students to work directly with distinguished composers and performers.

“Our work at Cardiff University is very important to us. The composition department is strong and vibrant and we believe it is valuable for those young composers to work alongside professional performers as they compose their music. It must be so frustrating for them to only hear their music played back to them by their computer – we enjoy bringing the music to life.” Michelle Fleming, Carducci Quartet

Among visitors in recent years have been the composers Simon Bainbridge, George Benjamin, Michael Berkeley, Henri Dutilleux, Michael Finnissy, Deirdre Gribbin, Christopher Gunning, Jonathan Harvey, Robin Holloway, Oliver Knussen, David Matthews, Anthony Payne, Robert Saxton, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Huw Watkins and Judith Weir. Composition workshops have also been given by BBC National Orchestral of Wales chamber players, Jeremy Huw Williams, ensembles such as Gemini, Chroma, Psappha and the London Sinfonietta, and the School's resident ensembles: the Sorrel Quartet (2002-05), the Schubert Ensemble of London (2005-08) and the Carducci Quartet (2008-).

For further details, please follow links to Composition Workshops and Seminars and to Visiting Composers.

Performance masterclasses have also been given recently by Wayne Marshall (organ), Denis O'Neill (tenor), Ingrid Surgenor (piano), the Sorrel Quartet, the Schubert Ensemble and the Carducci Quartet.