Music camps and workshops

Three weekend music camps are organised each year, where The Dorkestra and The Awkwardstra get together for intensive weekends of music-making. Two of the camps are larger camps and are based in Fairbridge. A third, smaller camp in Lancelin was also organised in July of this year (2024).

Delicious food, wine and general good humour is on the menu for the entire weekend. Campers gathers unofficially on the Friday afternoon with informal groups gathering to play in small ensembles, and camp formally begins with dinner. After dinner on both Friday and Saturday evenings, we will often have an after-dinner gig, sitting round the dinner table with some old favourites and sight reading for fun!

The official, serious music-making begins on Saturday morning, when we are joined by professional musicians, who tutor our sectionals. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn more about bringing your own sound into your orchestra, working with your peers on those tricky trills and, of course, getting the weekend off work! and we play right up till mid-Sunday afternoon.

The camps are held at Fairbridge Village. Dates for 2024 are as follows:

• Friday 17th May – Sunday 19th May,
• Friday 6th September – Sunday 8th September.

Each orchestra may also run their own day workshops during the year. These are organised by the ensemble coordinators and our maestro Daemon Clark. See below for dates of the two main camps at Fairbridge (Camp 1 and 2). Dates and venue for camp 3 have not yet been set.