It seems months ago now but on 18 August at 5.30am, after either little or no sleep, our buses departed the Swiss alpine town of Saanen and started the drive down to Zurich airport. That was the quietest bus trip of the tour! The Orchestra had received another great response from the capacity audience at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad the previous night and the orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach, William Barton and Joshua Bell were celebrating until the early hours. Having been together in different AYO programs for the past three years, it was also a time to say farewell to another generation of AYO members. I am sure they will not forget this experience and it will remain as a highlight in their careers.
In 2013, a tour by any orchestra in which every concert is sold out, and almost every performance is acknowledged by a standing ovation is rare. AYO had standing ovations in Berlin, Amsterdam, Ulrichshusen, Wiesbaden, Kassel, and Gstaad. The profile of the AYO’s Australian concerts was exceptional and the AYO players were so appreciative of the generous response from the audiences in Sydney and Melbourne.
I am very proud of the AYO musicians – of their spectacular playing and their responsible and professional approach to their role as ambassadors. They had some long travel days with very little time to prepare before some concerts and each time they handled the situation with calmness and professionalism.
I am very, very proud of our staff who managed the planning and implementation of the tour – Lucy and her team on tour, and everyone who worked behind the scenes back home whilst we were gone. I cannot thank them enough.
Finally, our thanks to you all for your support and generosity which enabled AYO to provide this inspirational opportunity for these deserving young musicians, and for them to inspire audiences around the world with their music making.
Colin Cornish
CEO
