Hi I'm Ian,

I’m a composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. I received a Bachleor of Music from the University of Manitoba. While I was there, I was lucky to study piano and music theory with Professor Charles Horton. It was in those theory classes and piano lessons when I really started to feel the connection between theory and practice, but it always felt like there was a missing link between music theory and the amazing piano literature I was studying.

I had always loved playing contrapuntal music and wanted to know more about counterpoint, so I went to the European American Musical Alliance at the La Scola Cantorum in Paris France to study Counterpoint and Keyboard Harmony—which sounded somewhat mysterious to me—with students and disciples of Nadia Boulanger.

 

At EAMA I discovered partimenti—or at least what partimenti had turned into in the French conservatories. At first the bases were voice leading puzzles to put together, but soon I noticed a change in my ears. I was hearing music differently, finding patterns I’ve never noticed before, and feeling more fluent making music— from playing piano, to singing in choir, to composing.

I came home from EAMA curious and fascinated about the French tradition of partimenti. By chance, walking through my school’s music library, I noticed the spine of a book called “ The Art of Partimenti” by Giorgio Sanguinetti which I devoured.

A whole world of music making had opened up to me. I spent time reading the recent slew of books on partimenti as well as academic articles and periodicals online. I spent even more time with the modern editions of authentic partimenti from the “Monuments of Partimenti” database. I also attended mentiParti, run by Tobias Cramm for a week of workshops by some of the most distinguished partimenti scholars on the history of partimenti and the practice of partimenti. I returned to the University of Manitoba for a Master of Music and I spent time researching and digging deeper into partimenti.

After I graduated with my master’s degree I began getting requests to teach partimenti and it was so cool to see my students make similar discoveries as I had! My students were composing more quickly and easily, their ears were growing, and they were finding making music more fun!

My friend and colleague Dr Joseph Sowa asked me to create a partimenti course designed for composers of today. The students from The Wizarding School have inspired me! It’s been so cool to see the leaps and bounds they have developed their craft as part of the Wizarding School.

That brings us to the present: I am founding The Partimenti Workshop to help composers, wannabe composers, and improvisors create music quickly, efficiently and with integrity.

THE PARTIMENTI WORKSHOP

Unlock your creativity like the greatest composers!

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The Partimenti Workshop is a safe place that welcomes people of all races, religions, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and body types. We respect, celebrate, encourage, and nurture the unique musical and creative possibilities of each individual.​

 

We acknowledge that we are gather, teach, make art and music on ancestral lands, on Treaty One Territory and that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation and that our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.

 

Copyright © Ian Campbell 2023-2024​