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, usually focusing on Dorkestra music. A third, smaller camp focusing on Awkwardstra music was also organised in July 2024, for the first time. Each orchestra may also run their own day workshops during the year (dates TBD during the year).

Naturally, attendance is voluntary. However, most orchestra members end up deciding to attend for at least the main Saturday as it’s an opportunity for sectionals, and to intensively rehearse the whole orchestra. Those that don’t end up attending generally wish they could have, or regret not going! 

What happens at camp? Delicious food, wine and general good humour is on the menu for the entire weekend. Campers typically gather unofficially on the Friday afternoon from 2 p.m. onwards, for a couple of hours, to settle in, natter, have a cuppa and/or get together in informal small group ensembles to play for fun. After dinner, on both Friday and Saturday evenings, there’s often an after-dinner gig where we sit round the dinner table, playing old favourites and sight reading for fun!

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! Typically, we play right up till mid-Sunday afternoon.

The 2025 dates for the two larger camps at Fairbridge Village are as follows:

• Friday 16th May – Sunday 18th May 2025,
• Friday 7th November – Sunday 9th November 2025.

We do plan ahead!! See below for 2026 dates of the two larger camps at Fairbridge (Camp 1 and 2). Dates and venue for camp 3 have not yet been set.