During 2020 Absolute Classics continued to deliver world class concerts, although they were just in a very different format to what we are used to…
For the first time, our Summer Festival was totally online!
All of our concerts were streamed live for free over our 10 day festival on our Facebook page and YouTube Channel. Our 2020 programme featured brilliant performances by many of our regular international performers including Nicky Spence, who is pictured above.
As a regular part of our Festival, we organise for our visiting musicians to deliver free 1-2-1 masterclasses for local young musicians. Our 2020 Festival was no exception despite the challenges we all faced with movement restrictions. Instead, we were able to arrange for these young musicians to be mentored by international performers from across the world, including Kirsten Jenson who is pictured below.
All of the masterclasses went extremely well and the feedback from our young musicians were all very positive – it seems they are very accustomed to communicating virtually!
I took part in a masterclass with Kirsten Jensen and I played the 1stmovement from Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor. Although we did it over ZOOM, it worked very well. Since Elgar is quite a long piece, we decided to work on the first page. After playing, I was given some advice on what to improve on. Kirsten told me to make the chords at the start slower and more noble because it is marked nobilmente at the start. She also told me to make it more speaking and singing. I found the masterclass very interesting and helpful, and it has definitely improved my playing of the piece.
Will Archibald, 12, Langholm
