EUROPEAN TOUR 2015
Wind Orchestra and Big Band have enjoyed a fantastic tour to Europe, visiting and performing in Prague, Vienna, Salzburg and Montreux.
Sixty students and five staff departed Sydney on Tuesday June 23rd on a 16 day tour that commenced with a one night stopover in Incheon en route. We arrived in Prague where we met our tour guide Christian. Johann was our Coach Driver, and what a coach it was! Roger and Olaf were our truck drivers for the tour. They were fantastic! They set up, pulled down, put away – and always with a smile on their faces! What’s more – I think they had a great time getting to know our students and listening to our performances.
In Prague we enjoyed walking the city. We saw the Old town Square and also the Castle District. Wind Orchestra performed a concert at the Salvator Church. World Projects, our travel agents, did a great job advertising our concerts and our first concert had over 150 people in the audience. Acoustically we had never performed in such a venue – the sound could still be heard some five seconds after we had finished. It was a great way to commence our concert tour.
Wind Orchestra and Big Band have enjoyed a fantastic tour to Europe, visiting and performing in Prague, Vienna, Salzburg and Montreux.
Sixty students and five staff departed Sydney on Tuesday June 23rd on a 16 day tour that commenced with a one night stopover in Incheon en route. We arrived in Prague where we met our tour guide Christian. Johann was our Coach Driver, and what a coach it was! Roger and Olaf were our truck drivers for the tour. They were fantastic! They set up, pulled down, put away – and always with a smile on their faces! What’s more – I think they had a great time getting to know our students and listening to our performances.
In Prague we enjoyed walking the city. We saw the Old town Square and also the Castle District. Wind Orchestra performed a concert at the Salvator Church. World Projects, our travel agents, did a great job advertising our concerts and our first concert had over 150 people in the audience. Acoustically we had never performed in such a venue – the sound could still be heard some five seconds after we had finished. It was a great way to commence our concert tour.
Next stop was Vienna. Rain and lots of traffic prevented us reaching this beautiful city before late afternoon. We checked in to our Hotel and then headed off to dinner. In Vienna we enjoyed a tour through town including a visit to Schonberg Palace. Later we headed to the Odeon Theatre. Professor Alexander Ohlberger, long time Oboist with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, gave our Wind Orchestra a workshop, and then played for us.
Later we were joined in a concert by a local ensemble – the SJBO Orchestra, led by Conductor Daniel Muck. Their concert band performed a number of Daniel’s compositions. A highlight of our performance was the playing of Andrew London in the Horn Concerto by Gliere. Big Band performed for the first time on tour, with Frankie Bouchier proving popular with his vocal solos.
The next day we had a guided tour of the Vienna Opera House. It was excellent and we all enjoyed hearing about the musicians who had performed in this theatre in the past. From the Opera House we walked to the House of Music. Students especially enjoyed the opportunity to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on Strauss’s Radetzky March. Wind Orchestra’s next performance took place at the Votiv Kirche. Another big crowd gathered to listen to the band perform.
We were now off to Salzburg. On the way we stopped off for lunch at the beautiful lakes district. From there we went to the Mozarteum. The Wind Orchestra was met by the Austrian Composer Otto Schwarz. Otto took the band in a workshop on David Gillingham’s ‘With Heart and Voice’ and then introduced us to one of his more recent compositions ‘Skyliner’. After a short play through his march, we were delighted when Otto presented us his piece to keep. Following on the workshop we then performed at the very first International Friendship Festival. We enjoyed the Upper Austrian Brass Band and then the Puchhelmer Youth Chamber Orchestra. Both our Wind Orchestra and Big Band played. Highlights included ‘Colonial Song’ by Grainger and ‘Quintessence’ played by Josh Glass. At the conclusion of our performance we enjoyed a meal with performers from the other ensembles, Otto, and Festival Organisers.
Next day we did a walking tour of Salzburg which included a visit of Mozart’s birthplace. In the afternoon a number of the group were able to do ‘The Sound of Music’ bike tour. Others enjoyed a walk up to the castle and others watched a concert. A visit to Salzburg is never complete without a trip to the Saltmines. This was a lot of fun. Our visit to this wonderful city concluded with a performance in the Mirabell Gardens by the Big Band.
From Salzburg we drove to Innsbruck. Here we did a walking tour with local guides. It would have been lovely to perform here, but unfortunately it was just a quick stop. It was then back on to the coach and off to Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps. In Oberammergau we did a guided tour of Linderhof Palace and later the Neuschwanstein Castle.
Our final destination was Montreux in Switzerland. It was a long drive from Oberammergau but we arrived in time for the Big Band and Jazz Combo to give their first performance. The weather in Switzerland was hot and steamy but it didn’t prevent a large and enthusiastic crowd gathering to listen to our performance. The band played great with special mention to Euan Chaffey for his performance of ‘Skylark’. We were accommodated at the Montreux Youth Hostel, a lovely setting on the lake. The next day Wind Orchestra gave their final performance at Chillon Castle, built in the 13th Century on Lake Geneva. In the afternoon Big Band gave their second performance on the Park Stage. Big Band had given two terrific performances and a new CD might hopefully eventuate as a result. The evening was free to walk around and enjoy the Montreux Jazz Festival. The next day we travelled to Lausanne. Unfortunately the warm weather prevented the Wind Orchestra from performing in the town square. However It did not stop members of the group from shopping. We also bid farewell to Roger and Olaf, our roadies, as they left to return to Vienna.
Our final day was spent travelling to Zurich where we had a small amount of time before boarding our plane to return to Sydney.
The tour was a fantastic success with great performances given by both the Wind Orchestra and Big Band. Our students had a brilliant experience which they were able to enjoy with their peers and friends.
It was a pleasure for staff to travel and enjoy this wonderful opportunity with the musicians that are the Chatswood High School Wind Orchestra and Big Band.
Gavin Staines
The tour was a fantastic success with great performances given by both the Wind Orchestra and Big Band. Our students had a brilliant experience which they were able to enjoy with their peers and friends.
It was a pleasure for staff to travel and enjoy this wonderful opportunity with the musicians that are the Chatswood High School Wind Orchestra and Big Band.
Gavin Staines
This year I had the great privilege of joining Chatswood High School’s Wind Orchestra, Big Band 1 and Jazz Combo as they toured Europe for 16 days.
Our European journey began in Prague, a city alive with culture and music. Our students had the opportunity to explore the city on foot and shop extensively. From Prague, we made our way to the gorgeous city of Vienna where we toured Schonbrunn Palace, looked at the unique architectural style of the Hundertwasserhaus and explored the House of Music, just to name a few highlights. After passing through the stunning Austrian countryside, we arrived in the city of Salzburg. Once again we were able to explore this stunning city on foot, however, a few of us chose to embrace our inner Maria and tour Salzburg and the surrounding countryside on a bike, visiting key locations from the film The Sound of Music.
Our European journey began in Prague, a city alive with culture and music. Our students had the opportunity to explore the city on foot and shop extensively. From Prague, we made our way to the gorgeous city of Vienna where we toured Schonbrunn Palace, looked at the unique architectural style of the Hundertwasserhaus and explored the House of Music, just to name a few highlights. After passing through the stunning Austrian countryside, we arrived in the city of Salzburg. Once again we were able to explore this stunning city on foot, however, a few of us chose to embrace our inner Maria and tour Salzburg and the surrounding countryside on a bike, visiting key locations from the film The Sound of Music.
From Salzburg, we made our way to the picturesque town of Oberammergau in Germany before arriving in Montreux, Switzerland. Despite the heat, Montreux was a town alive with music and each student embraced the opportunity this place offered.
Despite all the wonderful sights of Europe, watching our students perform and grow as musicians was my most memorable experience. Their professionalism was commendable and their dedication to music unquestionable. With each performance they grew as individual musicians and as a group, taking the opportunity to work with professional musicians and composers.
Despite all the wonderful sights of Europe, watching our students perform and grow as musicians was my most memorable experience. Their professionalism was commendable and their dedication to music unquestionable. With each performance they grew as individual musicians and as a group, taking the opportunity to work with professional musicians and composers.
They had the opportunity to perform in churches, cathedrals, theatres and a castle dating back to the 12th century. Our Big Band and Jazz Combo blew the crowd away at the Montreux Jazz Festival. They were professional in their performances and played with a great amount of passion and skill. It was a pleasure to be a part of this tour and to see our students grow as individuals, representing Chatswood High School in such a commendable way.
Kelly Lipp
Kelly Lipp