Residencies

Three days of immersive coaching and rehearsal in a quiet country setting away from the distractions of day-to-day life.

“Our Residency helped us to completely refresh our approach, leaving us with a renewed vigour and enthusiasm. It introduced us to ways of rehearsing and working together which now permeate every rehearsal.”

— Berkeley Ensemble

About - Residencies provide an oasis for you to focus entirely on your ensemble, giving you intensive coaching and rehearsal in a fresh environment, whilst allowing the space and time for valuable reflection and discussion

Residencies are three days/two nights long. They provide 10 hours of coaching with a chosen mentor in four 2 ½ hour sessions, one on the first evening, two on the middle day, and one on the last morning. Where possible, one of the sessions will be planned as a public masterclass open to observers. There is the potential for flexibility in planning eg sometimes two groups share a Residency, or the length of a Residency can be increased.

Eligibility - Residencies are open to chamber ensembles no longer eligible for regular support at music college or university, but also to Fellowship holders. We welcome applications from all instrument combinations.

Applications are open year-round.

Once accepted onto a Residency or Mentorship, ensembles might also be invited to participate in one of ChamberStudio’s other programmes: the Visiting Professor Series or Hall One Masterclasses.

Ensembles applying to ChamberStudio for the first time - will be invited to a Consultation with Artistic Director, Richard Ireland. This also serves as an audition.

Ensembles continuing from a recent Mentorship or Residency - will discuss details for planning a new Residency in a call with Richard Ireland. If the gap since your last ChamberStudio programme is more than a year, or if your ensemble has changed one of its members, your new programme will start with a fresh Consultation.

Consultations are 90 minutes long and consist of a one-hour coaching session followed by a 30-minute discussion with Artistic Director, Richard Ireland. Choice of mentor will usually come from ChamberStudio’s list of mentors, but in some circumstances it is possible to suggest a musician who is not currently on the list.

Where necessary (for example due to long-distance travel), Consultations can be online - groups submit a video followed by a discussion on Zoom.

ChamberStudio Fees

Consultation: £60 (90 minutes)
Mentorships: £120 per 3-hour masterclass (£40/hr)
Residencies: £400 (four 2.5 hour sessions @ £40/hr) PLUS £50 contribution per player towards accommodation and food. Travel must be booked and paid for by the ensemble.