About us

I first encountered French political journalist and harp enthusiast Robert Koch in 2004 when he took part in a harmonica workshop I was giving in Vienna. Later that same year he attended a summer course I gave in Tuscany and also came to my Harmonica Masters Workshops in Trossingen, Germany, where we got to know one another better. Soon we had started fantasizing about organising an independent musical masterclass ourselves. In 2008 Robert's wife discovered the "House of Music" Le Kleebach, situated near Munster in Alsace, which appeared to be an ideal location to realize our plans. As an Alsace native based in nearby Colmar, Robert was in an ideal position to take care of the local organisation both before and during the event, while I could put together the team of instructors and deal with the public relations side. We reserved the venue and started work.

Our first event there took place in August 2009. Around 30 students from 6 different countries attended courses taught by me (harp), Martin Röttger (cajon) and Dick Bird (guitar), ending with a public concert on the last evening. The atmosphere was convivial and relaxed, Le Kleebach turned out to be the perfect venue and the combination of exciting workshops in beautiful surroundings, lengthy evening sessions on the terrace and first class catering with Alsatian flair made for an unforgettable experience at an affordable price. This led to sequels in 2010 and 2011, featuring Dave Goodman as guitar instructor. In both years the workshops exceeded all expectations and drew over 40 students as well as garnering great reviews.

Starting in 2010, we began encouraging the students to form groups and put together their own musical program to be performed at the final concert. This has become an important aspect of the event and was expanded in 2011 to include coaching sessions where all instructors help the different groups to hone their repertoire and offer advice on arrangements. In 2011 a total of five groups presented an hour long program which met with an excellent reception from the local audience before Dave, Martin and I took to the stage at the final concert. For students this is a great opportunity to put what they have learned into practice and then perform it in public.

We are now accepting bookings for the next European Music Workshops in Le Kleebach from July 31st to August 5th 2012 and would be delighted to welcome you there for an unforgettable musical holiday with a great team in a wonderful location!

Steve Baker, January 2012