by Hannah Coombs | Jul 7, 2015 | South Africa 2015
After leaving the beach by the Wilderness hotel the buses left for Cape Town. It was another long trip but was split up by a few stops. For lunch most of the orchestra opted for some home comforts in the form of KFC. Which was delicious. The landscape on the road as we drove was beautiful and we often whipped out our cameras and leaned out the window to snap a few pictures. We even came across a few elephants in the distance. The on bus entertainment was much the same, with one exception. After a short discussion between Joely and myself she somehow challenged herself to see how long she could hold my foot and leg up for, and she was very determined. She managed to last one hour and 15 minutes. We were all quite impressed. We arrived in Cape Town just before dinner and had a few minutes in our rooms – which were lovely and had balconies with good views – before we jumped back on the bus and headed to the V and A Waterfront for dinner. Many other members of the orchestra and I ended up in a lovely Italian restaurant. The meal was lovely and I had a nice conversation with the owner about the orchestra and what we were doing there. Then after another group picture it was back to the best western for the night. A good nights sleep was needed for the busy day ahead....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 6, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Our night’s accommodation for our pit stop on the way to Cape Town was the Wilderness Hotel Resort and Spa. This was a big step up from our ‘prison’ the previous two nights. We all tucked into a wonderful buffet before heading off to use the wifi and relax in our rooms for a while before bed. Or in my case watch X-Men. Then it was an early night as we were all very tired from the early rise. I managed to have a full 9 hours of sleep, which has greatly helped me to recover from my cold. After breakfast and packing the bus, we all walked down to the beach for a quick paddle in the ocean, a game of frisbee and to take a few pictures before we headed back to the buses for our drive to Cape Town. This was a great idea, enjoyed by all. Except when we had to get on the buses with sand in our shoes....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 6, 2015 | South Africa 2015
We arrived in George and immediately went into a rehearsal for a concert. The venue was great, it was a massive open hall with hundreds of chairs and almost every single one was filled during our concert. We played a full set list with two halves, one half even showcased the premier of a new group consisting of David Moore, Niall McHugh, Fraser Graham and Andrew Spence playing some fantastic music which both the audience and the orchestra enjoying listening to for the first time. Everything went well and I even had a great conversation with a member of the audience during the interval who had nothing but praise for our musical talents, he also happened to be a double bass player himself, so we chatted for most of the break. At the end of the concert I also got to speak to the owners of one of the double basses that we borrow for the afternoon, they were wonderful people who told me all about the history of the bass itself and that it belonged to their son who was currently out of the country. In the past he had travelled with his orchestra and also borrowed double basses when he went so this was their chance to return the favour. I am happy to report that the orchestra are ever so slowly learning to smile during concerts and this has been the best so far, but we still have some way to go. If all concerts are a good as this one then I think we will have a lot to smile about. -Hannah (Photos are from a beautiful selection...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 6, 2015 | South Africa 2015
The day started at 5:30! Breakfast at 6 and on the buses ready to leave by 7. As you can imagine the orchestra members were not overly happy about this yet remained in good spirits while on the bus. We made a few stops along the way to refuel – us not the buses – crisps, chocolate and ice cream seemed to be the snack of choice at the service station for our first stop. At our second stop burgers were on the menu for lunch as well as a short walk to see the bridge over the chasm. We took many pictures and made plenty of jokes about bungee jumping off it. However I was not joking and was fully prepared to jump if they had let me and so were numerous other people. Then it was back on the buses for the final journey to the venue for our afternoon performance at the church. On the buses entertainment was had in forms of card games, reading, singing and sleeping. Mainly sleeping after the ridiculously early start to the day. Hopefully we will have a long, deep sleep in the next hotel....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 6, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Our last evening in Grahamstown was spent in the audience for the same venue in which we had played just hours earlier. The music being showcased in this performance was very different from anything we had seen yet. It was a fantastic showcase of both music and dancing from the African Music Library. It was very uplifting and with AFO in the audience there was of course some participation, with hands clapping and singing along – when we could understand the words. The dancers were full of energy and had talent coming out of every muscle, we all watched with amazed eyes as they moved in perfect sync. The rest of the audience seemed to enjoy it as much as we did and joined in when AFO started a standing ovation. Many of the songs stuck in our heads for the rest of the night and much of the following morning. Some tour parents were even giving some of the dances a try too. It was a great experience into another culture and I am glad that I got to enjoy it with all of the AFO family. Even if I was full of the cold like so many other orchestra members fighting to stay awake not to splutter and cough though the performance. To find out more about the concert visit the festival website nationalartsfestival.co.za...
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