About Us

The Music Summer School and Festival is a vibrant international meeting place for musicians of all ages, backgrounds and stages of experience, united by curiosity, generosity of spirit and a shared commitment to musical excellence. Each summer, participants from across the UK and around the world come together for an immersive and joyful fortnight of music-making, learning and discovery. Days are full, evenings are alive with performance and conversation, and the atmosphere is one of warmth, intensity and shared purpose — an experience many describe as transformative.

The Summer School Foundation (formerly The Dartington International Summer School Foundation), an independent charity first established in 1976, proudly builds on a distinguished tradition that began at Bryanston and flourished for many decades at Dartington. That history continues to inform the spirit of openness, experimentation and collaboration that defines the Summer School today, even as it has evolved into something new: a confident, outward-looking festival and school with a strong sense of identity and ambition.

In 2023 the Foundation secured an exciting new future for the Summer School at Gresham’s School in stunning North Norfolk, where the event has found a home that supports both artistic focus and a strong sense of community.

The Music Summer School and Festival will operate from 1st to 15th August 2026 at Gresham’s School, Holt, Norfolk. Gresham’s (which counts Benjamin Britten, Lennox Berkeley and W H Auden amongst its alumni) offers an exceptional environment for concentrated study and performance, with superb rehearsal and concert facilities, comfortable residential accommodation, and beautiful grounds and woodlands that encourage reflection as well as creativity. The Georgian market town of Holt is less than ten minutes’ walk away, with the North Norfolk coast just four miles distant.

Concerts, talks and events take place every day throughout The Music Summer School and Festival, in a rich variety of spaces including the Auden Theatre, the Fishmongers’ Recital Hall in the Britten Music Building, the Dyson Building, the Chapel, and the wonderfully atmospheric outdoor Theatre in the Woods — ensuring that performance is woven into the daily rhythm of the Summer School.

The Music Summer School and Festival offers a wide and ambitious range of courses, including Choir, Vocal Ensembles and Chamber Choir, Opera Scenes, Jazz and Improvisation, Chamber Music, Baroque Orchestra, Folk Music, Wind Ensemble, String Ensemble, Early Music, Composition, Dance, Instrumental and Vocal Workshops and Masterclasses, and much more. Participants are challenged, supported and inspired by outstanding tutors and by one another, in an environment that balances openness and inclusion with the pursuit of the highest artistic standards.