Our course is open to young people of all abilities – it isn’t a high-pressure environment at all, and the focus is on nurturing everyone’s different talents, whatever they may be.

When I was younger I went almost every summer, and now I’m returning as a member of the faculty. The 2020 course was cancelled due to Covid-19, but before that we were on a campus not far from Toronto. I can’t wait to get to the new location on Vancouver Island, which is an amazing place completely immersed in nature.

Every student has six one-to-one lessons over the two weeks of the course. These take place in the mornings, so there’s plenty of time to do some private practice on the days when you don't have a lesson. After a break for lunch, the students divide into groups for afternoon activities.

There are lots of different things to choose from, including musicianship skills like ear training, theory and harmony classes, composition and conducting lessons, music theatre workshops, orchestral repertoire, yoga and Alexander technique. Evenings are for orchestra rehearsals and getting some well-earned rest!

We really do pack a lot into just two weeks, but the focus is on the whole musician, not passing this or that exam, or winning a particular competition.

Having said that, the course does include a few competitions of its own: there’s one for scales, which mostly involves younger players, another for improvisation, and a third for chamber music groups. The chamber music winners perform at the gala concert on the final evening, which is also a chance for friends and family to come and listen to what the orchestra has been working on during the course.