NORVIS is the full week-long early music summer school in County Durham,which we’re proud to describe as one of the UK’s longest-established and friendliest. Following our magnificent NORVIS 2026 summer school at Barnard Castle School, NORVIS 2027, our 55th course, is planned to take place at the same venue from 31st July – 7th August 2027.
If you love playing early music, a week at NORVIS will enable you to progress.
We teach recorders, Baroque flutes, viols, lutes and historic guitars, harpsichords and consort singing.
We play repertoire from the Renaissance to the late Baroque.
We have an impressive team of tutors who are specialist performers / teachers and a very generous participant : tutor ratio.
Many participants play other instruments, besides their main study instrument, including Renaissance and Baroque strings and woodwind. This offers the opportunity to play in a wide variety of ensembles.
Read about a typical week at NORVIS, day by day, HERE.
Bursaries enable more individuals to participate in NORVIS
You can see reports from previous NORVIS weeks HERE.
NORVIS was founded in 1971 in Durham as The Northumbrian Recorder and Viol School by the late Layton and Christine Ring. These days simply called NORVIS, over time it has broadened to teach recorders and Baroque flutes, viols, lutes and historic guitars, harpsichord and voices, and to incorporate many more instruments as may be played by those taking part.
NORVIS is a registered charity, no 1014801.
