The Oxford Cello School (OCS) is an international cello summer school founded in 1980 by Marianne Gottfeldt to provide a unique opportunity for cellists to focus on their instrument and receive the very best tuition in an intensive environment. This remains their philosophy.
The Music Workshop Company are proud to work with their students every year.
In this month's guest blog, Stephen Gottfeldt tells us all about the ethos of the School and what it offers it's students.
It’s nearly that time of year again! For the last 45 years, Oxford Cello School (OCS) has been welcoming thousands of students and hundreds of members of staff to our courses and has evolved from a purely local Oxfordshire summer school (Originally created to give Marianne Gottfeldt’s (OCS founder) students a means of enjoying playing, practising and socialising during the summer holidays) to a rather more international affair, with many students from Europe and further afield.
What I’ve always been proud of is that so many previous students are now professional teacher’s and players and I really hope that we’ve played a small part in inspiring them towards that goal. We are also always on the lookout for new young teaching talent. One story from our now head of Performance and Advanced Courses is reminiscent of Marianne’s direct style of recruitment and also sums up succinctly the Oxford Cello School vibe:
“My first experience of the Oxford Cello School was unexpected. I had been taking part in a lower-strings open day at my college and a rather fierce looking lady…had approached me. Handing me a pen she issued an order "give me a call". After a couple weeks of the pen lying around on my desk, I decided it was time to follow orders and I phoned the number on the pen. "I want to offer you a job,” declared the lady at the other end of the phone. …The teaching was hard work, but incredibly rewarding. The kids were responsive and everybody learnt from each other...We taught in a variety of ways in individual lessons…and many ensembles and cello orchestras. The evenings were filled with games of 25-a-side football, a barbecue, a ceilidh, a talent show where masters of the kazoo were able to show off their talents and dancing contests were won by contraband means. I enjoyed myself immensely teaching at the OCS. I learnt a lot about teaching and playing and have made some great friends.”
Of the many staff who have come and gone we’ve always had a core who have stayed the course for decades and who inspire new teaching staff and students alike. Special mention must also go to the several legendary cellists who have visited OCS: long ago, Christopher Bunting, Joan Dickson and Alexander Baillie and more recently Raphael Wallfisch, Leonid Gorokhov and Sung-Won Yang, to name a few.
Our focus these days isn’t uniquely younger-student focussed. Indeed, since the beginning of the 2000’s we have seen an ever-expanding group of adult students whom have either found the time to take up where they left off years ago, beginners wanting an intensive learning experience or established players to whom we can offer experiences of solo performance, both with piano and cello orchestra.
Of course, our younger students are those who carry OCS into the future. Since the beginning I have constantly been amazed at how quickly children assimilate information and new skills allowing them to cope with the copious amounts of music handed to them at the beginning of the courses (none of our repertoire is sent out in advanced). The technique, sightreading, rhythm, scales and aural training we offer helps them to become accustomed to dealing with the repertoire and flourishing as musicians and what is performed at the end of course concerts I always consider to be a superlative accomplishment and of great credit to all involved.
In terms of repertoire OCS’s library of music has become enormous. We have had concertos and other works specially composed for the school as well as a staggering number of arrangements sent to us. Memorably, we once asked Barrington Pheloung’s permission to arrange the ‘Inspector Morse’ theme tune only for a complete 13-part arrangement to arrive through the post a month or so later, free of charge!
It's all thanks to the cooperation of talent that the OCS has manage to keep going over nearly half a century, from the days of the early 1980’s of sleeping on classroom floors of local primary schools to now enjoying fantastic facilities at prestigious venues with outstanding facilities such as Radley and Malvern College. From simpler times to the modern smart-phone, social-media driven era, children now have a lot to deal with and we very much hope to be able to allow them, for a week at least, to just focus simply on playing the cello, expressing themselves in making music, in groups of existing or newly made friends. These experiences and relationships are important building blocks in a younger person’s life and remind us of the importance of cooperation, encouragement and working together.
It seems that the challenges of recent times – Covid, the cost of living, problems with mental health in young people as well as issues with providing music education in schools have presented in a decline in music making activities. Thing’s will get better though and as long as organisations such as ours are around then the situation can only improve!
We still have some space for children from 9th – 16th August this year and bursaries are still available. Whenever we can we try to offer financial support to motivated young people looking for extra support, inspiration, encouragement and lots of fun.
For more details visit the Oxford Cello School website - https://www.oxfordcelloschool.org/courses-dates-prices
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