by Hannah Coombs | Sep 5, 2015 | Blog, Rehearsals
The first rehearsal back after summer is always busy, people are catching up after a few weeks apart, forms have to be filled out and handed in and we have many new scared faces joining us for the first time. It can be quite daunting on your first day, as all of the older and former players can tell you. You might not know anyone there, or know where to go or what to do. But luckily for these new people there will be someone right next to them going through the same thing. And standing next to them is a member of the orchestra who has been around for a while, with a big smile on their face waiting to help them out. As the orchestra start to play the first piece (Fiddlers to the Fore) I looked around the room at all of the new players and they were just managing to follow along with the music. Which is where everybody starts off when they join, nobody gets it right away. The moved through to the other room to take the music a bit slower and have some extra direction, and just a few weeks later I heard them playing and I was blown away at how amazing they were and how much they had learned in just a small amount of time. Our newest member – of which there are a lot – are all very talented and I can’t wait to share a stage with them all at the Christmas Concert in December. Oh yeah, and the rest of the orchestra did a great job...
by Hannah Coombs | Sep 5, 2015 | Blog, Concerts
After being rescheduled due to bad weather earlier in the year the Prestwick Promenade Celebration went ahead, even if it was a bit windy. The orchestra perform at this event every year, it was actually the first ever event I played at after my first year with the orchestra. This year was a bit different as their performance was broadcast live online, and as I was not playing this year and couldn’t make it along to hear them play I was able to watch online. Although the connection wasn’t great, I still manged to see their smiling (well smiling-ish, they are still working on it) faces from my computer screen. It was a great idea especially as we have so many fans around the world who are unable to see us perform as often as they would like. Can’t wait to be back next year and hopefully spread our music even further around the world....
by Hannah Coombs | Aug 14, 2015 | Blog, Concerts
An annual performance on the orchestra’s calendar is the Ayr Flower show. We always seem to be lucky with weather and this year was no exception the sun was shining on both days the orchestra performed. The crowd was out to see AFO perform on the glorious day and they thoroughly enjoyed the music from the orchestra who were on top form since arriving back from tour. For some seniors this was the last event they would play with the orchestra as our new session starts later this month. I would like to wish them all the best, it has been a pleasure playing along side them all these years. ...
by Hannah Coombs | Aug 14, 2015 | Blog, Concerts
What a night! It is always great to meet other musicians and spend some time getting to know them, while sharing some music on stage, in front of a fantastic audience. The League of Astonishing Strings made for great companions on the stage for this night of amazing music. The group were on their last leg of their European tour and they had saved the best for last by visiting Scotland. load testing website The group is made up of three groups from across the Atlantic Ocean. The Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra kicked off the show with three numbers, Kenny Gillies, Inisheer and Dashing White Sargent before we headed off the join the audience and handed the stage over to the League of Astonishing Strings. But this wasn’t the last time AFO would be on the stage for this concert. First up was the Calgary Fiddlers form Alberta, Canada. Their smiles lit up the stage as they danced and played so many great tunes that had everyone’s feet tapping. Up next was Music City Stings all the way form Franklin, Tennessee. They are the largest of the three groups with the biggest age range. Their music was performed with great energy and talent. Last to grace the stage was Revolution Strings from Abilene, Texas. The music produced by these players was remarkable and a joy to watch. The solos performed showcased some very talented musicians. The night ended with a joint performance from the League of Astonishing Strings and AFO, we played the beautiful Karen’s Air conducted by the ever amazing Dean Marshall. The sound created by all groups was moving and...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 23, 2015 | South Africa 2015
We may have only been back for a week but I am already thinking back to tour and to the amazing things we did. We will be thinking back to this and all the other tours we go on throughout our lives as they are significant memories to us. It is when we get to see the wonders of the world and meet people who could be our friends for forever. It opens us up to new experiences and adventures that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to come by. When we think back we will have fond memories of giving concerts to sold out audiences, playing with musicians from other amazing orchestras, spending time with our friends – old and new – and visiting, learning and seeing the sites of South Africa. When I think back to American 2011 and Europe 2013 these are the types of things I remember with a smile on my face. But each tour is different, memorable and incredible so its own reason, with their own unique stories and memories but in the end they all come down to one thing – the AFO family we create while on tour. ...
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