CYO Pre-Tour concert, 23rd June 2018

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 DestinyLue lisää
Bradden Chamber Concert

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 weLue lisää
Segler Strings at Bradden

A couple of clips from the Segler Strings this afternoon. A bit of their Haydn Quartet and a bit of 'Serenata' by Turina.
MCB Quartet at Bradden

And a couple of clips from the MCB Quartet, one from Dvorak's American Quartet, the other the opening from Borodin's Nocturne.
Arnold Quintet at Bradden

The Arnold Quintet performing one of Denes Agay's dances.
Tour Polo Shirts

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 aLue lisää
Final CYO Tour Rehearsal

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 theLue lisää
Equipment Van Loading

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 theLue lisää
And we're off!

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 M1Lue lisää
17.25 Ferry

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

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 DraperLue lisää
Are we nearly there yet?!

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 veryLue lisää
Travelling to Olomouc

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, MrLue lisää
The Eagle Has Landed!

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 leftLue lisää
Good Morning from Olomouc!

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 withLue lisää
On our way to Kromeriz

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 centreLue lisää
Kromeriz 1

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 staffLue lisää
Kromeriz 2

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 inLue lisää
Elusive Students

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 byLue lisää
Arnold Quintet Chamber Performance

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 alsoLue lisää
Segler Strings Performance

The brilliant Segler Strings also performed in the gardens of the Chateau in Kromeriz this afternoon.
Below are a few photos and a snippet from Serenata by Turina...
Kromeriz Rehearsals

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!
Dinner Blog 1

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 justLue lisää
Dinner Blog 2

Dinner Blog Addition

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 seeLue lisää