5-day Summer School with Warren Mailley-Smith – Upper Intermediate – Advanced – waiting list

Spoil yourself with five whole days dedicated to the piano.

This performance focussed course will give you the opportunity for total immersion in ‘all-things-piano’ across the week, covering technique, posture, memorising, practising, improvising, performing and much more. Group workshops will be complimented by one-to-one sessions and masterclasses with a range of opportunities to play, perform, listen and learn in a truly unique setting. This course is an opportunity to make new friends, amass new ideas and develop positive new habits in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere. We guarantee that you will emerge from this course a better pianist!

Our 5-day courses are set at a different pace – with plenty of time for everything. Each day involves an interactive, themed workshop to set pianists up for a day of practice and performance, as well as performance opportunities to the group in the afternoon. Throughout the day, pianists will have time to all practise on a different grand piano each, or check in with the tutor for a scheduled one-to-one lesson.

In between the workshop and masterclass sessions there will be time for private practice on one of our beautiful grand pianos. During these sessions, Warren will give one-to-one lessons on our new Steinway to provide individual pointers and tips.

As this week has a particular performance focus, students will be encouraged to play to each other as much as possible. The good news is that fellow classmates all understand pre-performance nerves! During group sessions especially, they are all rooting for each pianist to grow in confidence, and musically, as much as possible during their stay at Finchcocks. We aim to provide as inclusive and relaxed an atmosphere as possible to facilitate that!

But a 5-day course at Finchcocks is not all about pianos!

Guests will have the option to join a scheduled swim session or two during the week, experience activities such as wine tasting, countryside walks, open-air performances or even a visit to the historic Richard Burnett Heritage Collection!

Hearing your tutor perform is a great source of inspiration. As well as giving course participants the stage as much as possible, Warren will treat guests to a private recital on the family Bosendorfer – either in the main hall of Finchcocks or out on the outdoor stage if the weather allows!

During the course of the Summer School, guests will:

• Have the chance to play in and observe two performance masterclasses.
• Will receive a one-to-one lesson with Warren.
• Enjoy 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.)
• Experience a private recital by Warren for course participants in the main hall of the family home – on the Finchcocks open-air stage (weather depending!).
• Join and socialise with a group 8 fellow piano enthusiasts during lunch and dinner.
• Dine in style with lunches and three course dinners prepared by our fabulous chef.
• Experience the Finchcocks bubble, hailed as a “paradise for pianists” by BBC Music Magazine and stay in a grade 1 listed country manor.

In 2016 Warren Mailley-Smith became the first British pianist to perform Chopin’s complete works for solo piano from memory in a series of 11 recitals at St John’s Smith Square. Hailed by the critics as an “epic achievement”, he is repeating the series across the UK in coming seasons.

He has given acclaimed solo recitals at The Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and has performed for the British Royal Family on numerous occasions. One of the busiest concert pianists of his generation, he is regularly found across the country performing solo and chamber music in beautiful locations to packed out audiences!

And don’t forget about the hospitality!

With our own wonderful chef and hospitality team providing generous continental style breakfasts, light tasty lunches and three course evening meals (the latter washed down with top notch wine), it’s very difficult to leave when it comes to the end of the week!

Priority for 5-day courses is given to returning guests who have attended at least one weekend course at Finchcocks. For booking enquiries, please contact us on 01580 428080 or fill in the form below.