OXFORD
CHAMBER
COURSE

Oxford Chamber Course 2025


As soon as the dates for the 2025 Oxford Chamber Course are confirmed, we will post them here,
as well as the 2025 course brochure, as soon as it is ready.
In the meantime, please find all the details of the 2024 course below, including the 2024 course brochure.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us: our contact details are at the foot of the page.
Judith & Tim Dallosso

Welcome to the website for the Oxford Chamber Course.

The Oxford Chamber Course 2024 will take place from Saturday 3rd – Friday 9th August.
You’ll find more information below, and you can also download our 2024 brochure here:
Download PDF brochure
A seven-day chamber music course for young string players held in Oxford every summer

Are you looking for a summer music course which combines intensive study under experienced coaches with the fun and enjoyment of making music together? Each summer the Oxford Chamber Course offers young string players aged 9–18 the opportunity to sample the special delights and challenges of playing chamber music – and a lot more besides.

The Introductory Course (generally 9.45am–2.30pm each day, Sunday to Friday) is for players who have taken Grade 3 but not yet taken Grade 6.

The Intermediate Course (generally 10.35am–4.30pm each day, Sunday to Friday) is for players who are at least Grade 6 standard but have not yet taken Grade 7.

The Advanced Course (generally 11.40am–5.50pm each day, Saturday to Friday) is for players who have taken Grade 7 as a minimum, ranging up to Grade 8 standard and above.

The 2024 course will take place at Wychwood School from Saturday 3rd – Friday 9th August. On the Friday there will be rehearsals at the school through the day, leading up to the final course concerts that afternoon and evening.

For full details of this year’s course, including details of timings, fees, discounts, and other important information, please download the 2024 PDF brochure above.

  • All members of the course play in two different chamber groups, and every chamber group performs in one of the concerts at the end of the week.

  • Each course tier has its own chamber orchestra. There is also the Lower Orchestra, bringing together all the players on the Introductory and Intermediate Courses, and the Upper Orchestra, made up of everyone on the Intermediate and Advanced Courses. All orchestral groups take part in the concerts at the end of the week.

  • Every day features a different workshop, each exploring a different aspect of string playing and musicianship, and all the Advanced Course chamber groups also take part in a masterclass with a world-class chamber musician.

  • Lunch-breaks include social activities bringing together members of all three course tiers, such as the annual Jenga Tournament.

Our coaches

Our coaching staff consists of six experienced professional chamber musicians with busy performing and teaching careers.
You can read a little about them below.

Janet Froomes

violin
Janet studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, playing with Australian Opera and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for several years before moving to the UK to continue her studies in Oxford. With Miranda and Judith she was a founder member of the Courtenay Quartet.

Miranda Walton

violin
Miranda is a graduate of York University and of the Birmingham Conservatoire. She studied violin with Rimma Sushanskaya and baroque violin with Micaela Comberti. She has played with many groups such as Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (at Glyndebourne), for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and on BBC Radio broadcasts.

Vanessa Murby

viola
Vanessa studied viola with Margaret Major as an undergraduate at the Royal College of Music, then, as a postgraduate, gained diplomas in orchestral, solo and chamber performance. She has recorded for film, television and radio, and has performed at private functions for both the then Prince of Wales (now King) and the late Queen!

JACQUELINE JOHNSON

cello
Jacqueline graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts, then played in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, worked with Australian Opera and Ballet, and broadcast for the ABC, before moving to the UK in 1990. Teachers include Colin Carr, Christopher Bunting, Anner Bylsma (baroque cello) and Pedro de Alcantara.

Judith Dallosso

cello
Judith was an Instrumental Award Holder at Jesus College, Cambridge. She then had two years of postgraduate study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying cello with Stefan Popov and baroque cello with Anthony Pleeth. With Miranda and Janet she was a founder member of the Courtenay Quartet.

Spike Wilson

cello
Spike was a Choral Exhibitioner at The Queen’s College, Oxford. He studied with William Pleeth, Christopher Bunting and Alexander Baillie. He was Oxford Brookes University’s Performance Co-ordinator and Director of Hampshire County Youth String Orchestra. He is a founder member of OXUS and of the Holywell Ensemble.
Please do get in touch with us by phone, e-mail or post (details are at the bottom of the page).
We look forward to hearing from you and will get back to you as soon as possible.
Judith & Tim Dallosso