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Highlights From Our Big Clarinet & Sax Weekend

25th November 2025

Our Big Clarinet & Saxophone Weekend was bursting with music, inspiration, and a whole lot of reed-fuelled excitement! From inspiring workshops to stunning concerts, the two days had something for every player.

Clarinet Day Highlights

The clarinet day was led by two outstanding artists: Peter Cigleris (Backun) and Simon Bates (Yamaha).

Peter opened the day by conducting our mass clarinet ensemble, filling the room with a warm wall of clarinet sound.

Clarinet Player, Peter Cigleris stands in front of a group of people player

After rehearsals, we had some brilliant volunteers to perform in a masterclass where Peter worked closely with the player, bringing out gorgeous tone colours and boosting musicianship.

He rounded off the afternoon with a beautiful recital, joined by his accompanist, showcasing the expressive possibilities of the instrument.

Simon then brought the clarinet into a different sound world with an introductory workshop in melodic jazz improvisation. His session showed that improvising doesn’t have to be intimidating, offering accessible ideas and techniques to explore jazz on the clarinet.

Clarinet Player, Simon Bates, standing in front of a group of people all playing clarinets.
Person sat down with a clarinet resting on their lap whilst they write notes in a notebook

Simon closed the day with an exciting evening concert with his accompanist, demonstrating

A huge thank you to Backun and Yamaha for supporting the clarinet day!

Saxophone Day Highlights

Day two was all about saxophones, featuring a fantastic lineup of artists: Alastair Penman, Gerard McChrystal and Jenni Watson, with support from Selmer.

The morning began with Gerard and Alastair leading ensemble rehearsals, preparing two groups before joining forces for one enormous mass ensemble – over 20 saxophones playing together! The sound was fabulous and set the tone for the rest of the day.

Then, players split into workshops:

  • Gerard led a masterclass packed with guidance to elevate performance and technique.
  • Jenni ran a popular Creative Practice session, proving that practising fundamentals like scales and long tones can actually be fun.
  • Alastair hosted a brilliant gear session, giving everyone a chance to geek out over setups.

We were also joined by Lucy from Selmer, who kept everyone entertained and informed with a fun Selmer quiz – complete with surprising brand facts and history that captivated the room.

The afternoon continued with even more in-depth sessions:

  • Jenni returned for a second masterclass, offering individual performance coaching and fresh practice ideas.
  • Alastair demonstrated his live electronics setup – showing how technology and saxophone can work together creatively.
  • Gerard rounded off the day with an exciting extended techniques workshop, encouraging players to experiment with new sounds and techniques.

The end of the day was rounded off by an incredible performance by all three artists, showcasing both Alastairs and Jenni’s own compositions and arrangements – truly inspiring playing.

Huge thanks to Selmer for supporting the saxophone day and helping us make it such a special event.

Until Next Time…

To everyone who attended, sponsored, performed, joined the ensembles, volunteered for masterclasses, and geeked out over instruments: thank you. Your energy made the weekend unforgettable.

We can’t wait to do it all again – here’s to the next Big Clarinet & Sax Weekend!