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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260612T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260614T153000
DTSTAMP:20260417T134959
CREATED:20250929T070024Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T162635Z
UID:30487-1781290800-1781451000@www.finchcocks.com
SUMMARY:A weekend in Italy with Margherita Torretta - mixed ability
DESCRIPTION:Recognising the Influence of Italian Music: A way to reimagine keyboard works from the Baroque to the Classical Period. \nSpend a sunny weekend in Italy with Italian and London-based pianist Margherita Torretta\, and explore the extraordinary influence of Italian keyboard music in the Baroque and Classical periods. \nRevitalise your spirits and experience music inspired by Italy’s rustic pastoral landscapes\, verdant groves and colorful gardens\, turquoise lagoons and azure seas\, picturesque towns and ancient villages\, all the while appreciating beautiful melody\, elegant simplicity\, romantic lyricism – and the urge to dance – that all define the Italian style! \nMargherita Torretta will guide your weekend trip with a musical virtual tour of the birthplaces – not only of Italian Baroque music – but also of its transition to the Galant Style and piano works of the Classical period. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDestinations in this virtual tour of the birthplaces of Italian music include: \n• Naples for Domenico Scarlatti\n• Venice (“La Serenissima”) for “Il Buranello” Baldassare Galuppi and Domenico Cimarosa\n• Lucca for Elisabetta De Gambarini – trailblazing\, first published female composer\n• Rome for Muzio Clementi\n• Verona\, Milan\, Bologna and Florence\, cities that Mozart visited on his first extended tour of Italy\, understanding the influence of the music that Mozart heard and how he skillfully incorporated many of its qualities into his own keyboard works. \nRecommended repertoire to prepare is therefore by the composers\, according to your playing level: \n\nD. Scarlatti\nB. Galuppi\nE. De Gambarini\nS. Cimarosa\nM. Clementi\nW. A. Mozart\nJ. Hayden and\nL. V. Beethoven\nAnd even a Chopin waltz\, nocturnes or mazurka!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIncluded in the weekend itinerary: \n1) Stylistic performance technique for Italian character\, Baroque to Classical \nWe will discuss and demonstrate how performance technique – phrasing\, note articulation and touch\, pedaling\, tempo adjustment\, dynamic range\, and balance between clefs – can be used to enhance the Italian character of music from the Baroque to the Classical period. \n2) Essential ornamentation and improvisation of the time \nWe will also discuss the use of ornamentation and improvisation as essential qualities in the performance of the music of this time. Examples of ornaments and improvisational effects will be given – and the decisions that help determine when and where these effects can be used will be studied. \nAnd on the Saturday evening\, Margherita will treat guests to a recital-talk in our main hall on Theatrical elements and dance in Italian music! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn between the workshop and performance class sessions there will be time for private practise on one of our beautiful grand pianos. During these sessions\, Margherita will give one-to-one lessons on our new Steinway to provide individual pointers and tips. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAs you know\, art and music go hand-in-hand with food. So\, Mark our talented chef is accompanying your musical experience with an Italian-themed menu for your stay! What a collection of goodies we have in store for you! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGuests will: \n\nHave the chance to play in and observe two performance masterclasses.\nWill receive a one-to-one lesson with Margherita.\nEnjoy access to play on our 9 grand pianos anytime between 7am and 8pm. (There are enough pianos to go round that everyone can play a piano at any given time.)\nExperience a private accompanied talk for course participants in the main hall of the family home\, performed by Margherita.\nJoin and socialise with a group 8 fellow piano enthusiasts during lunch and dinner.\nDine in style with lunches and three course dinners prepared by our fabulous chef.\nExperience the Finchcocks bubble\, hailed as a “paradise for pianists” by BBC Music Magazine and stay in a grade 1 listed country manor.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n{″ARInfo″:{″IsUseAR″:false}\,″Version″:″1.0.0″\,″MakeupInfo″:{″IsUseMakeup″:false}\,″FaceliftInfo″:{″IsChangeEyeLift″:false\,″IsChangeFacelift″:false\,″IsChangePostureLift″:false\,″IsChangeNose″:false\,″IsChangeFaceChin″:false\,″IsChangeMouth″:false\,″IsChangeThinFace″:false}\,″BeautyInfo″:{″SwitchMedicatedAcne″:false\,″IsAIBeauty″:false\,″IsBrightEyes″:false\,″IsSharpen″:false\,″IsOldBeauty″:false\,″IsReduceBlackEyes″:false}\,″HandlerInfo″:{″AppName″:2}\,″FilterInfo″:{″IsUseFilter″:false}} \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Listening to Margherita Torretta’s performance it is not hard to agree that a major contribution has jumped straight into the Italian master’s discography” GRAMOPHONE (Linsday Kemp)\n\n“..these are poised performance\, Torretta draws you into the finest detail of the composition” BBC music magazine (Rebecca Franck)\n\n“Her trasparency\, precision and intelligence always draw the ear in music that is appealing and invites repeat listening” INTERNATIONAL PIANO (David Threasher)\n\nMargherita Torretta is an Italian pianist and ex-classical dancer born in 1986. Following her recording of D.Scarlatti-20 Keyboard Sonatas (Academy Productions)\, she made her debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York in 2016. Margherita has performed in over twenty countries and their concert halls across the globe – from Europe\, England and the United States to Asia and Australia – and London’s St. Martin-in-the-Fields\, Vienna’s Ehrbar Saal\, Warsaw’s Fryderyk Chopin Institute\, the Conservatory Maurice Ravel in Paris\, the Steinway Hall in Dubai\, Sala Verdi in Milan and many others.\n\nMargherita graduated with honors at the Conservatory in Piacenza and G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan. Supported by the Theo Lieven Foundation\, she entered the Performance & Interpretation Masters Programme at Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Here she was a student at the prestigious International Lake Como Academy\, directed by William Grant Naborè and studying with Dimjtri Bashkirov\, Fout’s Ong and Stanislav Ioudetich.\n\nMargherita has released a second album with Baldassare Galuppi’s piano sonatas (2023\, Academy Classical Music). She’s the first pianist to record the complete piano works composed by Italian-British composer Elisabetta De Gambarini (2024\, Brilliant Classics) and in March 2024 she released her first novel Rimmel inspired by her personal story (2024\, edizioni Pendragon).\n\nHer interviews and reviews have appeared in music magazines including Gramophone\, BBC music magazine\, Classics Today\, The Art Desk\, Pianist Magazine and International Piano. She has performed live concerts and given interviews over major broadcast networks including RAI Radio 3\, Rai Radio 2\, BBC radio 3\, RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera\, France Musique\, Radio France\, Luxembourg 100.7\, ORF1 Austria and Radio Romania Muzical.\n\nShe currently lives in London.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFor booking enquiries\, please fill in the form below! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n Your Name (required)\n \n \n Your Email (required)\n \n \n Which course date(s) are you interested in?\n \n \n Playing level / experience (required)\n \n \n Room price band:\nPlease selectClassic (standard)Considerable (large)Old Dairy (with own piano)\n\n \n Other room preferences: (please select most important one and we'll try to our best to accommodate)\nPlease selectEnsuiteWalk-in showerBath2nd floor3rd floorI'm easy!\n\n \n Please tell us anything else that you think would be helpful:\n \n \n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n	Weekend courses\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n	from £700 (inclusive of accommodation\, food\, wine and tuition)
URL:https://www.finchcocks.com/availability/a-weekend-in-italy-with-margherita-torretta/
CATEGORIES:Advanced,Upper intermediate,Upper intermediate weekend
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260626T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260628T153000
DTSTAMP:20260417T134959
CREATED:20250929T070007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T162409Z
UID:30583-1782500400-1782660600@www.finchcocks.com
SUMMARY:The Invigorated Pianist with Dr. Michael Low - grade 8+
DESCRIPTION:Invigorate your piano playing and take ownership of your music with this new course\, developed by Dr. Michael Low! \nThrough coaching within the performance masterclass/workshop format\, popular piano myths such as “the solution to your technical problems can only be solved by practising more exercises” will be debunked\, encouraging you to see beyond the narrow confines of traditional piano teaching orthodoxies. Not only will course participants build and develop fundamental aspects of piano technique\, but they will consolidate their own personal vision of a musical work to perform with vibrancy and confidence. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWe hope guests will leave this special Finchcocks course feeling inspired\, confident – and above all invigorated. \nThis course aims to encourage and inspire participants to: \n\nhave the confidence and the ability to study a piece of music without the constant need for external validation\ntackle repertoire which other teachers may have told you is “beyond you”\nfind simple/practical lasting solutions to technical issues such as playing fast passages evenly and without physical tension\ntake ownership of your music\, from a technical\, artistic and interpretative point of view\nleave the course feeling “Well that was so obvious and simple!’ or ‘Why haven’t I thought of that before?”\nsee the bigger picture – after all\, life has never been about just playing the piano whereas playing the piano have always been about life!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Invigorated Pianist will have a slightly different format to the usual Finchcocks one. \nMornings will begin with the established interactive workshop but\, in order to offer guests a longer allocation in the open\, performance class sessions\, slots will be doubled to at least 45 minutes per pianist – in lieu of one-to-one lessons. Should guests prefer a closed\, one-to-one lesson instead\, this can be arranged\, given notice. \nWorkshops will include: \n\nTaking inspiration from the great pianists. What they can teach us and how we can put these ideas into practice in our own playing OR Taking Ownership of Your Music\n Misreading the score: some musical examples as to how all of us\, including some of the greatest musicians of all times\, have ‘misread’ the musical score (Introduce Roberto Poti’s book\, The Secret Life of Musical Notation): Beethoven’s Fur Else\, opening motif of the 5th Symphony\, possibly the opening of the middle section of Chopin’s B minor Scherzo.\n\nAnd on the Saturday evening\, Michael and Fran will discuss and challenge the conventional idea of musical rubato with a recital-talk on Brahms Intermezzo in A Major Opus 118 No. 2; Saint-Saens/Bizet: First movement of Piano Concerto in G minor Opus 22; Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor Opus 5\, Liszt Benediction of God in Solitude. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn between the workshop and performance class sessions there will be time for private practice on one of our beautiful grand pianos. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGuests will: \n\nHave the chance to play in and observe extended (45min+ per player) performance masterclasses.\nEnjoy access to play on our 9 grand pianos anytime between 7am and 8pm. (There are enough pianos to go round that everyone can play a piano at any given time.)\nExperience a private accompanied recital-talk for course participants in the main hall of the family home\, performed by Michael.\nJoin and socialise with a group 8 fellow piano enthusiasts during lunch and dinner.\nDine in style with lunches and three course dinners prepared by our fabulous chef.\nExperience the Finchcocks bubble\, hailed as a “paradise for pianists” by BBC Music Magazine and stay in a grade 1 listed country manor.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPraised for his innovative approach and passionate insight into piano playing\, Dr. Michael Low’s teaching career in Asia and Africa has spanned almost a quarter of a century. As a student\, Michael studied piano with Richard Frostick (the current director of the BBC World Voice Programme) before enrolling as a member of London’s prestigious Centre For Young Musician where he studied piano with the international pedagogue Graham Fitch. He obtained his Honours at Surrey University under the tutelage of Clive Williamson before completing his Masters of Music whilst studying with Nils Franke and Niel Immelman. \nAn International Scholarship brought Michael to Cape Town where he completed his Doctorate under the supervision of South African greatest living composer\, Hendrik Hofmeyr. Michael has also worked with numerous eminent teachers and pianists including\, Nina Svetlanova\, Frank Heneghan\, James Gibb\, Phillip Fowke\, Renna Kellaway\, Carolina Oltsmann\, Florian Uhlig\, Gordon Fergus Thompson\, Francois du Toit and Helena van Heerden. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n Your Name (required)\n \n \n Your Email (required)\n \n \n Which course date(s) are you interested in?\n \n \n Playing level / experience (required)\n \n \n Room price band:\nPlease selectClassic (standard)Considerable (large)Old Dairy (with own piano)\n\n \n Other room preferences: (please select most important one and we'll try to our best to accommodate)\nPlease selectEnsuiteWalk-in showerBath2nd floor3rd floorI'm easy!\n\n \n Please tell us anything else that you think would be helpful:\n \n \n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n	Weekend courses\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n	from £700 (inclusive of accommodation\, food\, wine and tuition)
URL:https://www.finchcocks.com/availability/the-invigorated-pianist-with-dr-michael-low/
CATEGORIES:Advanced,Upper intermediate,Upper intermediate weekend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.finchcocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Michael-Low.jpg
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