Performance
The Music Department at Canterbury Christ Church is highly focused on performance, within formal programmes of study and in the wider community of the south east. The concert calendar represents a range of large and small ensembles, along with the cultivation of solo performance in a high-profile series of musical events; these range in musical style from traditional and contemporary classical music, to commercial music and jazz.
Performance as a principal study course is pursued by a majority of students, at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Central to these are regular seminars, in which all students are able to build performing experience in a supportive environment; these are matched by what is probably the most generous provision of individual instrumental tuition to be found in the university sector. In the BMus programme, 25 weekly hour-long lessons are given on the principal study instrument, with an option for a second instrument at levels one and two. Tuition is given by a staff of resident and visiting experts, including David Campbell (clarinet), Sarah Field| (saxophone and trumpet), and David Rees Williams (jazz piano).
In addition to the cultivation of solo expertise, the ensemble activity of the department offers a wide range of performing opportunities. Chamber Music is led by the resident Maggini Quartet |, and directed ensembles include Baroque ensemble, Big band, Choral society, Fusion ensemble, Orchestra, and Wind orchestra.
Weekly lunchtime concerts are free and open to the public, demonstrating the best of what staff, students and visiting artists have to offer. Through regular fund-raising concert activity, the department also sustains a student scholarship programme, making support available to outstanding students in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Through participation in regular solo or ensemble activity, performance students are able to cultivate a wide range of skills, technical, musical, personal and social, which make them highly capable, highly employable people.