Graham Oppenheimer (right) leads a chamber music session at Chetham’s School of Music
I can still vividly recall my first experience of chamber music as a twelve-year-old at summer school. I was amazed not only by the ingenious construction of the finale of Mozart’s String Quartet in G major K387 but also by the freedom and brilliance of my own voice. I realised that my part mattered in this wonderful new medium. This was a real light-bulb moment that has always remained with me. Since then I have felt privileged to have had a career dedicated to chamber music, and as senior chamber music tutor at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester since 2002,1 have been able to create such opportunities for others. My fellow teachers and I feel passionately about the importance of chamber music for young string players and recognise that one of our very important tasks is to oversee similar light-bulb moments for our own students.
Chetham’s is a specialist music school for students aged 8 to 18, many of whom arrive having never played chamber music before. We introduce them to experiences that can be among the most dynamic and exciting available to string players. Chamber music is fully integrated into the life of the school and there is a strong educational structure to the programme, in which students clearly understand where they fit: