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...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 6, 2015 | South Africa 2015
AFO performed 3 concerts for the National Music Festival in Grahamstown in the space of 16 hours, each of which was better than the one before. The audience loved every second of it, however the faces of the orchestra members would show otherwise as the review of a music critic stated in Saturday’s paper. The other double bass players and I did not bring our instruments with us so the festival arranged for some to be delivered for us. We came into the room to find four rather large crates being unscrewed. Our basses had been transported over from Johannesburg. They were of good quality and looked fantastic from an audience view. Hopefully they will meet is over in Johannesburg later in our tour. All the different types of music that we played went over very well. The fast reels and jigs had people clapping along, while the slow airs and laments I am sure had many people almost in tears. Our South African number Kwela was meet with cheers as the audience recognised the melody. The dancers also amazed the audience, as did our piper Andrew Spence. But the piece that had every laughing was the Hen Mairch Over the Midden, as Mr G and Douglas Clark clucked on stage. Many other of our tunes also had the some participation from the tour parents, as they waltzed and joined us on stage for Auld Lang Syne. ...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 6, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Everyone was very sad as we waved to our guides from the buses and headed down the drive to the exit of Kariega Game Reserve. But we were on our way to our second stop of the tour. Arriving at our new accommodation everyone was very taken aback as the quality was somewhat down hill from the luxury we had at Kariega. For this we were not prepared. The camp beds turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, I personally slept like a rock. The showers were lovely and warm, well maybe too warm at times as it didn’t have a cold tap. The staff there were very friendly, especially when my roommates and I got locked out of our room – through no fault of our own, we were given the wrong key. The kitchen staff were equally accommodating, providing excellent service and they even very kindly prepared our dinner on our second night. With desert too. Overall our time at the high school accommodation was comfortable and we were well looked after by all the staff....
by AdminAFO | Jul 6, 2015 | International Tours, Reviews, South Africa 2015
Review from Cue, Newspaper of the National Festival of the Arts, Grahamstown Saturday 4 July Volume 29 No 3 Jeffrey Brukman Cue specialist writer “From lone bagpiper Andrew Spence’s first haunting reverie the stage was set for a celebration of Scottish (and a smattering of Irish) culture. Replete with references to national poet Robert Burns, some fine national dancing and a plethora of reels, jigs, slow airs, waltzes and marches, this concert showcased the best of Scotland’s fine young artistic talent. Irrepressibly enthusiastic conductor David Moore directed the youthful 80-strong orchestra with insight, precision and verve. His sensitive direction of My Love is like a Red, Red Rose, where spine-tingling vibrato intermingled with long-spun cello lines, highlighted the orchestra’s obvious appreciation for expressive music making. Likewise, the young players portrayed with poignant sophistication Neil Gow’s Lament for the death of my second wife. This was music-making from the top drawer. A homogenous group, this orchestra plays with studious concentration, a fine sense for ensemble, incisive bowing, tremendous fingerboard dexterity, and infectious rhythmical vitality. So it is surprising that more joyful abandon was not expressed in the players’ body language or facial expressions. All of the fast , intricate reels were played with clean phrasing, astounding accuracy for metrical detail and precise intonation, yet were mainly rendered without any obvious delight. However this did not detract from the intimate atmosphere that pervaded much o f this group’s performance, and a waltz composed for tour secretary Kathleen Terras produced a significantly poignant moment. Here, the music’s homophonic texture received transparent treatment with sensitive balancing of the underlying harmonies. Two references to...
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