Composition Workshop For Aged 18s and Under
🗓️ Saturday 21st March 2026, 10.30am-12.30pm
📌 Cromer Parish Hall, 65 Church Street, Cromer NR27 9HH
Cromer New Music Festival invites up to 12 student composers to take part in a practical composition workshop led by Ian Mitchell (Gemini) and composer John Hopkins.
Each participant will compose a duet of no more than five minutes for two members of the professional ensemble Gemini, choosing from clarinet in Bb, violin or cello. Clarinet parts should be written a whole tone higher than concert pitch, and all music should be prepared in advance of the workshop.
Workshop details
Pre-booking is essential, with a cost of £5 per participant. To register, please email info.cromernewmusic@gmail.com who will issue an invoice for the workshop fee.
Composers must bring two copies of the score and parts on the day and arrive shortly before 10.30am to meet the workshop leaders. Teachers, family members and friends are welcome to attend the workshop free of charge.
Performance opportunities
All works will be performed in a free informal presentation at 6.15pm, ahead of the evening concert at 7.30pm at Cromer Parish Hall. Tickets for the evening concert (£15 / £8 under 18s) are available at www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com. One or two of the student pieces may also be featured in the evening performance.
Saxophone Workshop (All Ages)
🗓️ Saturday 21st March 2026, 10.30am-12.30pm
📌 Cromer Academy, Norwich Road, Cromer, NR27 0EX
Cromer New Music Festival welcomes saxophonists of all ages to take part in an ensemble workshop suitable for players of Grade 5 standard or above, or equivalent in playing and reading ability.
All sizes of saxophone are welcome, and music will be provided on the day.
Pre-booking is required. Please email info.cromernewmusic@gmail.com for further details before booking your place via www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com (£10 adults / £5 under 18s).
Participants are asked to bring a music stand if possible (a limited number will be available on the day) and to be ready to play by 10.30am.
The workshop will be led by Naomi Sullivan, member of Gemini, following her performance with the ensemble in a concert on Friday 20th March 7.30pm at Cromer Parish Hall – see www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com for details and to book (£15/£8 u18s).
About the Workshop Leaders and Performers
GEMINI
Formed in 1974, Gemini has performed widely across the UK and internationally, including at major festivals such as Aldeburgh, Bath, Huddersfield, and Spitalfields. The ensemble’s repertoire spans classical chamber works through to new commissions, music theatre, and collaborations with dance.
A pioneer in combining performance and education, Gemini has led numerous residencies at UK universities, helping students create and perform their own compositions. The group also helped launch Hidden Sounds at London’s Southbank Centre, which led to the founding of Women in Music.
NAOMI SULLIVAN
Naomi is a saxophonist based in London and working internationally as a musician and teacher. She is currently part of the Laefer Quartet and plays frequently with Gemini. From 2020 to 2022, she was a resident artist with the Illuminate Women’s Music team, collaborating with women composers to create new works for saxophone and piano.In 2007, Naomi began teaching at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and has been their Head of Saxophone since 2008. In 2021, she began teaching saxophone at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2025, she took up the role of Senior Saxophone Tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music.
JOHN HOPKINS
John Hopkins came to composition via an unusual route, involving a series of rock bands working the pub and club circuits of South-Eastern England in the late 1960s. His musical education progressed through University College Cardiff and the Dartington Summer Schools where he took part in the composition classes run by Peter Maxwell Davies.
He was Music Co-ordinator of the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol for two years before becoming composer-in-residence for the Eastern Arts Association. During this time, a number of important works were written, performed in the UK and abroad -see www.johnhopkinscomposer.com for full information on his compositions.