Berwang Music Holidays
Meet the Team
Tim Brown - Course Director
Tim began his musical career as a chorister at Westminster Abbey. Later, following a spell as a professional singer and schoolteacher, Tim was Director of Music at Clare College, Cambridge, from 1979 until 2010. His work with the choir of Clare College, and with his professional chorus English Voices (of which he is the founder/director), has earned him an international reputation as a choral director, with many acclaimed recordings to his name.
In 2011 Tim formed a professional choir in Zürich, the Zürcher Sing-Akademie, performing Handel’s Messiah, with the Tonhalle Orchestra in its annual New Year concert in December 2011. He brought the choir to the BBC Proms in 2013, to great critical acclaim.
Tim is much in demand as a chorus master and vocal coach, and has worked in productions in some of the great opera houses of Europe,
especially at the Staatsoper, Berlin, and at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France. He enjoys a busy schedule as a freelance conductor, and is a popular conductor at singing weeks around Europe,
whilst continuing to teach at Cambridge University.
He is no stranger to Berwang, having been choral tutor of the Holiday Course on many occasions since 1982, and the course director since 2012.
Graham Walker
"Little short of ideal, perfect in intonation... lively and delicate" Gramophone
"Brilliantly handled" The Observer
Graham Walker is an award-winning cellist and conductor who combines an active career directing choirs and orchestras with solo and chamber cello playing around the world. As a cellist, Graham has performed across Europe and North and South America. Graham is a highly respected choral conductor, and directs several choirs and orchestras; his first recording as a conductor, made when he was just 22, featured the music of Jean Mouton, a 16th-century Flemish composer, much of whose music was being recorded for the first time. Graham’s discography as a cellist and conductor reflects his wide musical interests. His most recent album with his Latin-American group Classico Latino (“Havana Classic”) was warmly received by critics, concert-goers and salsa nightclub DJs alike. His first two CDs with Karolos, of chamber music by Stephen Dodgson, were released in 2018 on the Naxos label to rave reviews in the critical press; their third disc, featuring Mozart’s E Flat Divertimento K563, is currently in post-production.
Graham’s work with Classico Latino has led him to discover the wealth of the Latin American musical repertoire, music which is almost entirely unknown outside the continent. With the group he has toured South America on several occasions, and in 2011 he was awarded a plaque live on Colombian national television in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to Colombian Andean music”.
Graham is Director of St John’s Voices, Precentor and Director of Music at Magdalene College Cambridge and Musical Director of the New Cambridge Singers.
Sam Becker - Wind Tutor
Sam grew up in Northamptonshire where he learnt clarinet/saxophone in the respected music service there, gaining valuable performing experience along with exploring his interests in composing and conducting. He went on to read music at Goldsmiths College, University of London, where he studied clarinet with Ruth McDowell (BBC S.O.), composing with Edward Gregson, Diana Burrell and Tim Ewers, and took a conducting course with respected wind band conductor Rodney Winther. Sam started conducting more regularly and received his first composing commissions while still at college.
A large part of Sam’s work has been as a music educator. This has included a variety of peripatetic work and private tuition, coaching on holiday courses and for workshops. He has conducting experience with youth, college and amateur ensembles, wind sections and orchestras and has directed professional musicians in concert and the recording studio.
His compositions range across instrumental, ensemble, vocal, choral and orchestral works. Compositions have been performed and broadcast in the UK and abroad. As well as many arrangements for school groups and other ensembles, Sam has also completed orchestrations for several unfinished Prokofiev works for Boosey and Hawkes.
Sam was the Wind Course Tutor for Berwang in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He is looking forward to returning in 2022.
Jean Burrows - Administrator
Jean began learning piano & recorders aged 8 and teaching recorder and directing recorder groups aged 12. It was taking up the bassoon at the age of 17, however, that spurred her to pursue her music studies.
Three years at the London College of Music led to an ALCM, LLCM(TD) and GLCM with bassoon as her main study, studying with Vernon Elliot and
Stephan de Haan. After graduating from the LCM Jean went on to gain a PGCE from London University.
Jean started her teaching career as Head of Music at William McGuffie Junior High School, Walthamstow before becoming Director of Music at
Waterside School, Bishops Stortford. From 1986 Jean worked as Head of Junior Music at Joseph Clarke School for children who were blind or had visual impairments, and as Head of Music at Brookfield
House School for children with physical disabilities/chronic medical conditions where music technology was used to great advantage. In 1988 Jean moved to be full time at Brookfield where she also
developed the Office Skills department into an IT department.
Jean plays in amateur orchestras and enjoys playing chamber music and, in recent years, has started playing the organ. She is also a
director of the advanced chamber music course – Spring Music.
Jean first went to Berwang in 1997 and has attended as a participant ever since, taking over the administration from 2010.
admin@musicholiday.com +44(0)7718 586134
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