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CYO & CYCh Tour 2018
  • Andy Kirkwood
  • Andy Kirkwood

CYO & CYCh Tour 2018

A four-concert tour to Olomouc in the Czech Republic and Bratislava in Slovakia. Read more
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    June 23, 2018
    Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    CYO Pre-Tour concert, 23rd June 2018

    June 23, 2018 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    A fantastic concert was given this evening by the CYO at Northampton High School. The orchestra was conducted first by Richard Roper and began with a confident performance of Verdi's Force of Destiny overture before welcoming NMPAT brass teacher Andy Johnson to perform Vaughan williams' Tuba Concerto. Andy gave a superb performance full of virtuosity, sensitivity and musicality and the orchestra did a fine job accompanying him. CYO finished the first half with 'Four Sea Interludes' by Benjamin Britten, a beautifully descriptive set of pieces taken from the opera Peter Grimes. Tonight was a great opportunity to run through the 'Four Sea Interludes' as the orchestra will be performing them again on stage at Symphony Hall, Birmingham as part of the finals of the National Festival of Music for Youth in two weeks.

    After the interval CYO 's leader, Jade Segler, did an amazing job as soloist in two pieces from Schindler's List by John Williams, underlining what an exciting musician she is, with a really bright future ahead of her! The concert concluded with Tim Green conducting Shostakovich's 9th Symphony and the orchestra did a fine job with this incredibly difficult and demanding piece. The performance was full of energy and vitality with some incredible solo work and amazing 'tutti' passages.

    With several of these pieces scheduled to be performed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia all that can be said is that the audiences will be in for a real treat, so bring on the tour!...

    ...although before that we should just get through the two 'Generations' Concerts first...and end of year Concerts for the choirs, Big Band, CYCB & CYBB...and Summer Concerts for the Saturday Centres...and the National Festival performances for 13 NMPAT Groups...and 1000+ County Auditions...

    ...but after that definitely BRING ON TOUR!!!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Bradden Chamber Concert

    June 30, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    This afternoon there was a concert given by the Segler String Quartet, the Arnold Wind Quintet and the MCB String Quartet at St. Michael's Church in Bradden. We mentioned at the tour meeting that we were hoping to use our existing chamber groups whilst we are in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to promote our concerts in town squares and play whilst audiences arrive and based on the beautiful playing from all three groups this afternoon we will definitely need to make this happen on tour!

    All three groups were superb and played a good variety of music to a very appreciative audience. The fact that this followed a full-on CYO Tour/NFMY rehearsal, was also in that "end of exams/end of term" period and took place in 30+ degrees heat (outside at least!) made the whole event even more impressive and enjoyable.

    The eagle-eyed amongst you may notice that the Segler quartet had a couple of 'ringers' - unfortunately Emma B was stuck in Menorca due to a cancelled flight (poor thing!?!) so Michael N kindly filled in on viola; and Amy D was also out and about on holiday so Mrs Malitskie took over cello duties for the day.

    We hope the tour prep is going well and that you are all looking forward to what should be a super trip to some wonderful places...not long to go now!!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Tour Polo Shirts

    July 9, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The long-awaited 2018 tour polo shirts have arrived and are ready for collection at NMPAT!

    Following much discussion, several colour suggestions from Mr. Roper (Bright Yellow...seriously?!?!) and a CYO petition over the possibility that the polos could be 'Burnt Orange' we have settled on the, rather elegant, colour of Burgundy, and very fetching they look too!

    They are laid out in alphabetical order in the common room so be sure to pick yours up before next Thursday...

    ...nearly into single figures now, 10 more sleeps!!!
    😀😀😀😀    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Final CYO Tour Rehearsal

    July 14, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The final Saturday rehearsal for the 2017-18 CYO and a chance to run through all of the tour music. Mr Green can be seen double-checking that Shostakovich's 9th Symphony still sounds vaguely as the composer intended...thankfully it does!

    Missing a few due to Sponne and NSG tours (such busy musicians!) but still a great turnout and lots of smiles and laughs this morning. The orchestra has worked really well together all year and along with the amazing CYCh are sure to put on some fabulous performances in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

    Remember to pick up your tour polo shirt if you haven't done so already, and then get your last-minute preparations sorted (passports etc.!!) ready for Thursday.

    News to follow soon of the tour quiz...watch this space!!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    The 2018 tour equipment van
    Getting started!All done!Tour Van Team!

    Equipment Van Loading

    July 17, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The first big logistical aspect of the tour took place this afternoon. Tim Green and I collected the tour equipment van and were joined by John Draper, Matt Butler and Meghan McCrimmon to sort out the "Jenga" strategy that is trying to fit the percussion gear, a keyboard, all of the electronic gear, 5 basses, 5 bass stools, 10 cellos, a long box, 3 trombones, 3 timpani, a bass drum, a xylophone, a bass clarinet, a tuba, a harp, a harp stool, 6 stands, 2 music folder boxes for CYCh, 1 music folder box for CYO, a partridge and a pear tree into the van so that it can get going tomorrow morning at 08.00!

    Fortunately John, Matt and Meghan know what they're doing and they'll be supervising packing the van on tour; Tim has spent years doing this sort of thing too...I know my place so spent the majority of the time supervising and taking photos!?!? The photos show various stages of loading, and I'm sure you'll agree that the team did a fabulous job (I feel the unsung hero was the supervisor...)

    John and Matt will be setting off in the morning to get all the equipment to the Czech Republic; all being well they will stop near Stuttgart tomorrow night and get to Olomouc late on Thursday afternoon, so they should be all refreshed when we arrive on the Friday! Meghan will then share van duties with John and Matt whilst we're in the Czech Republic and Slovakia so the final picture is "Team Tour Van"!

    Best wishes for a safe journey, and we will catch up with you on Friday afternoon!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    And we're off!

    July 19, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Well not that the tour staff wish to gloat but we think the itinerary said "students arrive 11.00, coaches arrive 12.00 and departure will be 13.00" and I'm currently writing this blog entry on the M1 motorway as we managed to set off from NMPAT at 13.10 so all things considered the plan seems to be working!

    Loading 119 students, 13 staff and the copious amounts of luggage that I personally brought (I may have mentioned to Mrs. Malitskie that having seen the results of my packing I thought we should have booked a third bus!?!). However everyone is safely on the two coaches, Mrs. M and I are currently being serenaded (although I'm not sure that's actually the right word?!) by the back of the top deck attempting to sing 'Don't Stop Me Now', 'YMCA' and - rather aptly at the moment - 'SOS'!

    However we are on our way, next stop Dover!!!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    17.25 Ferry

    July 19, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We have arrived in Dover! Loading soon and then on to Calais!

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Equipment Van Update

    July 19, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Pleased to say that the equipment van has arrived and parked safely at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Olomouc; in fact it looks like it may have parked on the front steps?!!?

    Well done to Mr Draper and Mr Butler! We are several hundred miles behind you, currently sitting in a service area outside Calais waiting to meet up with our main drivers for the tour...

    ...and Rick Astley has just come on the backseat playlist oh joy!!!!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    Miss Kelly is somewhere in this photo!

    Are we nearly there yet?!

    July 20, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Good morning from just north of Nuremberg!

    It's been an absolute joy so far, everyone has managed to get a good 8-hour's sleep without too much fuss, the cooked breakfast on the coach was very welcome and the fresh pot of coffee has really helped get the morning off to a positive start...

    ...and then reality kicks in as the coach goes over a bump on the motorway which jolts you awake and you realise that it's only 03.45, and only 26 minutes has elapsed since the last time you managed to twist your body into a vaguely comfortable position in your coach seat (utilising skills that a GB Olympic gymnast would be proud of) and drift off to sleep, and you start the process all over again, hoping that sleep will stay with you for more than half an hour stints!

    We stopped for a late night "toilet & teeth" break in Belgium at around midnight. The coach drivers ambitiously anticipated a quick pit stop of around 15 minutes; however getting 119 students through a small service station toilet wasn't going to happen quickly (it took us an hour!), but did give us a chance to demonstrate how much the British love a good queue, I just felt sorry for the poor German lady who rounded the corner at 00.45 to find about 40 students waiting patiently for the toilet!!

    It's a bit quieter on the coach at the moment; Rick Astley mercifully seems to have disappeared from the airwaves and we are hoping for a breakfast stop soon. The next anticipated issues from the staff will be the depleted battery life on tablets/phones/iPads (how will we cope?!?!) and the constant worry looming over us that someone on the coach will suggest putting on their 'High School Musical' DVD collection...

    After that it will only be a few hundred miles more before we arrive in sunny Olomouc, easy!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Travelling to Olomouc

    July 20, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    And the journey continues...

    ...still a way to go until we arrive at the hotel but the end is in sight and we are we hopeful for an arrival somewhere around 17.30!

    Spirits on the whole are good, Mr Spinner won the latest game of Coach 1 staff scrabble so he's happy; Mr Roper has declared that he's had enough of sitting on a coach though! And it's all quiet on the Rick Astley/High School Musical front as well so Mr. K is definitely happy!!

    And as you can see from the attached pics, we have spent the day sampling the delights of German and Czech motorway service station food!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    We have arrived!
    View from hotel roomView from hotel roomOff for a quick stroll before dinner!1The lobby!The lounge!!Nice bedrooms in this hotel!The staff - most of them shattered!

    The Eagle Has Landed!

    July 20, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Well it took 29 hours but the tour party has finally arrived in Olomouc and checked into the Clarion Congress Hotel!

    We have decided not to walk into town after all, as our18.30 arrival hasn't left us much turnaround time before dinner, so the important things took priority, you know things like getting luggage to rooms, freshening up and unpacking in the case of the staff...

    ...In the case of nearly EVERY student on the trip it was "let's immediately find the Wi-Fi code because OMG it's been over 10 hours since I had a signal and I can't cope LOL and what am I gonna do about my 'Snapchat Streak' with my BFF back in Northampton ROFL!!!!😆😆😆😆"

    On the topic of rooms I have to admit to feeling a little bit guilty: all of the staff are actually in single rooms for this hotel which is lovely but whereas my colleagues opened their doors to their room and en-suite; on opening mine I stepped into the lobby, proceeded into the lounge and leisurely strolled back round to my bedroom and en-suite! In many ways it's more problematic as with SO much space and room it might be easier to lose things, so reluctantly I suppose I can take one for the team this time round!?!

    Dinner is in 5 minutes in the hotel restaurant and then I imagine the exhaustion will kick in; first concert day tomorrow, Kromeriz here we come!!!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Good Morning from Olomouc!

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Well we're all up, if not quite button bright and wide awake in every case!

    Feedback on beds and pillows seems to be very positive (who would have thought that teenagers would be so particular with their sleeping requirements?!) and on the whole everyone seems to have had a good night's sleep, and certainly happy to have been able to sleep lying down!

    We checked to make sure that we saw everyone at breakfast, so if you don't see your little cherub on the accompanying shots please rest assured that they made it down. Breakfast itself was fantastic. Loads of choice whether hot or cold: yoghurts, cereals, bread, pastries, bacon, eggs, sausages, sweetcorn & brussel sprouts (I kid you not!), cheese, cold meats...there really was something for everyone.

    Rehearsals now until 11.00 (must post photos of the rehearsal space!) and we'll get going to Kromeriz hopefully around 11.45.    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    52

    On our way to Kromeriz

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Off to our first concert of the tour and the beautiful town of Kromeriz. Rehearsals all went well this morning; the rehearsal spaces were awesome, although some of the artwork in the conference centre has caused a bit of amusement...it seems to be pictures of various people covered in mud?!

    Anyhow onwards and upwards...    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    1

    Kromeriz 1

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Arrived safely and equipment unloaded at the venue. It is very hot, so fruit cocktails and cake/ice cream are in order, although the range of teas and coffees on display in the cafe that the staff have visited is pretty impressive!Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Kromeriz 2

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Beautiful afternoon in Kromeriz; perfect for a wander round! Nice also to see our concert being promoted throughout the town. Afternoon chamber concert to follow before a rehearsal for both groups in the venue.Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    1

    Elusive Students

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    So whilst not guaranteeing that we can include photos of every student on tour we are trying our best, although some students are trying very hard to evade being captured on film! As can be seen by the six attachments attempting (and failing in five of them) to get Kymberley included in the group photos this afternoon; at one stage she even hid behind a pillar!! Got there in the end...Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    2

    Arnold Quintet Chamber Performance

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We had asked the tour organisers before the tour whether there were suitable venues for some of our chamber ensembles to perform prior to our concerts, both as a nice performing opportunity but also to plug our concerts.

    This afternoon the Arnold Quintet and the Segler String Quartet both played in the gardens of the Chateau in Kromeriz. It was a really lovely space to play in and there were plenty of people out and about in the gardens who stopped to listen and show an interest.

    Photos and a little snippet of the Arnold Quintet playing a polka by Denes Agay are attached...    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler

    Kromeriz Rehearsals

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    What a venue to kick off the tour with! CYO and CYCh have just finished their sound check for tonight's concert, and they sound AMAZING! We can't wait for tonight, it's gonna be brilliant!

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    1

    Dinner Blog 1

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Ok apologies in advance for these next two blogs but we had dinner in a restaurant which is often the best chance to take photos of everyone (as they are essentially a captive audience!) so it is just people at dining tables, hardly likely to win any photography awards!

    The photos are of all the tables (I don't think I missed any but 119 students, 13 staff, 2 couriers and 4 drivers need a lot!) and I also hope that I waited for anyone who had popped to the loo to get back...?!    Read more

  • Andy KirkwoodCYO & CYCh Tour 2018Traveler
    Starter1MainDessert

    Dinner Blog Addition

    July 21, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Ok it turned out that I had missed Rachel and Amy, as they had managed to secure themselves one of the nice tables just for two! Last dinner table photo I promise; but also thought you'd love to see the food we were served which was delicious!Read more

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