A young woman checks sound levels on a sound desk.

AYO National Music Camp 2012: Blog 5

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AYO National Music Camp 2012: Blog 5
By Natasha Conrau

A young woman checks sound levels on a sound desk.
Sound Production student Jennifer Mills checking levels at the sound desk.
Two men smile at the camera with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Cellist camaraderie: Nelson Cooke (left) and his former student Howard Penny (right).
A violinist leads a chamber orchestra in rehearsal.
All eyes on Mats Zetterqvist as he leads the Cooke Chamber Orchestra in performance.
A cellist smiles at the camera as she plays in an orchestra during rehearsal.
The ever-cheerful Jordonne Colley leading the Alexander Orchestra cello section.
Violinists warm up before an orchestra rehearsal.
The Bishop Orchestra First Violins tune up before tackling Shostakovich’s mammoth Tenth Symphony.
A young man lies face down on the floor as a young woman stands on his back to give a massage.
Percussionists experiment with some interesting relaxation techniques before their general rehearsal.
A group of people smile at the camera while holding colourful handwritten signs which spell 'Happy Birthday'.
Happy Birthday Jacinta!

Day 7: The Pointy End

And so began Day 7 of AYO National Music Camp, which could mean only one thing – CONCERTS! The musicians were pretty relaxed this morning, with general rehearsals in preparation for two concerts in the evening. As well as being a pivotal day for the campers, today was the 21st birthday of one of our librarians, Jacinta, which was duly celebrated with balloons, streamers, cake, and some silliness from our library staff – not entirely unheard of…

Adding to the atmosphere of the day was a visit from Nelson Cooke, our chamber orchestra’s namesake. After hearing the Cooke Orchestra’s sound check, Nelson issued a warning to a certain professional band: ‘The ACO will have to watch out for these guys and pick up their game!’

The Cooke Orchestra opened the first concert with a CPE Bach symphony, before stunning the audience into silent awe with the well-known Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. The Alexander Orchestra’s performance of MacMillan’s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie had me transfixed as they powered their way through this striking work.

At dinner, I had the pleasure of sitting with the three AYO National Music Camp Maestros, overhearing Christopher Seaman’s warning to William Conway about the suspect looking kebabs on his plate: ‘This chicken’s been burnt then hanged, you know that don’t you?’ (some Isobel Gowdie humour from the conductor there). 

The finale of the night, Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, enthralled the audience with the Bishop Orchestra’s commitment to every single phrase and every single pizzicato – and there are a lot of them!

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