Pontefract Music Centre: Trip of a lifetime!
On Saturday 19th July there was no rain as we loaded up the double decker coach that was to take us on what has been described by a pupil as ‘the trip of a lifetime,’ to Lake Garda in Italy. We’ve forgotten the long hours through the night across Western Europe, the quizzes and the DVDs of popular films of the last ten years and the endless passing around of sweets and biscuits and other goodies.
The little town where we stayed, Arco, and the Hotel, Hotel della Rosa, were delightful and when we weren’t making music or sightseeing we were splashing around in the lovely swimming pool or lying on the grass.
Both the Senior Windband and Senior Strings performed two concerts separately and one combined. The combined concert took place in the charming little town of Caldonazzo, high in the hills and away from the hustle and bustle of the lake. A platform was laid out at the enclosed end of a medieval square and the concert was introduced by the mayor in Italian and translated for us into English. At the end we were given a commemorative picture and treated to a buffet in the town.
At Sirmione, we performed, Strings one morning and the Windband on a separate occasion. It was really hot and busy and the sounds of our music could be heard in the adjoining streets, but the atmosphere was lively and carefree.
The most atmospheric concert for each group was the evening concert at the Hotel in Riva del Garda. A very large audience of tourists from all over Europe sat around tables under the stars to listen to our programmes of music. And after the concert, the hotel management provided us with a tasty buffet of nibbles including watermelon and delicious green and red juices to drink.
Although we didn’t have a lot of spare time we spent a lovely afternoon on a boat sailing the length of the lake and calling at little towns on the way. We spent time in Malcesine, one of the prettiest of the towns and also in Sirmione, surely one of the prettiest towns in Europe.
A highspot was the afternoon we spent in Verona. After a relaxing lunch in the shade of the high buildings, we saw the Roman amphitheatre as well as the famous balcony where Juliet was wooed by Romeo.
Although the long hours in the coach seemed tedious at the time, we were amazed by some of the fantastic views of the mountains as we travelled north via the Saint Wolfgang tunnel.
All too soon we were back at NEW College, very tired but left with wonderful memories of what was for all of us, some of our most memorable musical experiences.
Vivienne Bird
