Embracing all levels at Stowe

If you’d prefer to concentrate solely on the old joanna, then there are plenty of other options. The oldest of the summer schools exclusively devoted to the piano is called (no prizes for guessing) The Summer School for Pianists. One of the current directors, Karl Lutchmayer (pictured, right), explains to me how it was founded. ‘It all began in the late 1970s, when the pianist Phyllis Mellor, who was based in Kent, decided to set up what we would now call a piano circle,’ he explains. ‘And she decided that the group should have a little holiday together to improve their playing. So it was always very convivial, right from the outset. And gradually more and more people wanted to be involved.’ As the school grew, it moved variously to York University, the Royal College for the Blind at Hereford, and the Steinway Performance Hub in Walsall. Currently it takes place at Stowe School, with its plentiful practice rooms, luxurious accommodation and breathtaking grounds landscaped by Capability Brown. ‘I can still remember the old days, when things were a little more basic, with shared bathrooms and so on,’ recalls Lutchmayer. ‘It’s like a dream to find ourselves in such comfort at Stowe now.’ Dreamy indeed: masterclasses take place in the palatial State Music Room, and the practice pianos are exclusively supplied by Steinway.

Students participate in group classes, with plenty of opportunities for private lessons too. The website suggests that participants should have at least a lower ability level of Grade 4, but I’m curious to know how this works in practice for classes. ‘I’d say that our average pianist is probably Grade 8 and above, but we do get people at lower levels as well. We used to grade the classes, but found it much more productive to keep them mixed. In fact, it’s easier in some ways to learn about principles of good pedalling and sound production, and so on, at a lower level, than, say, while working through a performance of Ravel’s Ondine.’ One of the innovations introduced last year was the event ‘Harmonic Cocktails’, with Lutchmayer and Pianist’s own Graham Fitch. ‘At 5 o’clock each day, over a drink in the bar, Graham or I would take a chord, and interpret it through various works, and examine how it changed – it was a little course of harmony. It was enormously popular.’ This year, the Summer School for Pianists runs 12-18 August.