Past Events
Summer 2008 Course
This summer the Holiday Orchestra welcomed record numbers of young musicians to the Univerity
Music School at West Road in Cambridge. As well as the usual panoply of bands, choirs, string and
recorder groups and the full orchestra, the week's activities included Barber-Shop, Piano
Percussion, Gamelan, Samba Band and Discovery Workshops run by members of the Haffner Wind Ensemble.
Summer 2007 Course
For three days in rainy August, Britten Sinfonia had the chance to work with budding
musicians in the Cambridge Holiday Orchestra. This week long course gave young musicians
of any level (beginner to advanced) a chance to take part in musical activities at West Road
Concert Hall. Highlights of the course included Discovery Workshops where children could find
out about "Endangered Species" instruments in the orchestra, listening to performances by
three Britten Sinfonia musicians, Emma Feilding (oboe) Douglas Coleman (trombone) and Lucy
Shaw (bass). In a noisy conclusion to the sessions, they also got to try out some of the
instruments for themselves.
Russell Keable, director of the Holiday Orchestra praised the enthusiasm of the musicians:
"The feedback from our course continues to be tremendously positive. Much of this is down
to the added dynamism of having this visiting team of fine musicians in our midst for part
of the week. The three players were so positive, professional and willing to enter into the
spirit of the event."
Upper Wind Band conducted by Paul Garner
Piano Percussion directed by Maurice and Thanea Hodges
Percussion Ensemble directed by Derek Scurll
10+ Choir directed by Thanea Hodges
Easter 2007 Course
Choir Easter 2007
The Easter Course was held at Manor Community Centre and around 180 young
musicians took part. Russell Keable was the Course Director and he was ably
assisted by tutors, both long-established and new to Holiday Orchestra. There
were two choirs, three string groups, three bands and recorder ensembles. There
were many highlights during the week but the concert ended with an enormous
flourish. The Upper Band under the direction of Paul Garner played Dies Irae
from Verdi's Requiem.
For those who missed the course, you can read the
programme of the Presentation at the close of the course.
Please note: in order to read the programme you will need to have the Adobe
Acrobat Reader program which can be downloaded for free from the
Adobe web site.
Christmas 2006 Course
Horn Player
One hundred and eighty young musicians thronged West Road Concert Hall for the
Christmas Course directed by Peter Britton. The week was fun, according to
feedback forms from the children. Fifteen children were the lucky ones who had
a session each day on the Gamelan. One innovation was an Advanced Recorder
Group, where children normally involved with other instruments went back to the
recorder, perhaps nostalgically. They played well. A very exciting part of the
final presentation was the first performance of a work by Alex Cook, a 14 year
old member of Holiday Orchestra. The orchestral composition, Rusty Carousel,
was highly applauded and sat so easily between a Mozart overture and part of
Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. This was a remarkable occasion.
For those who missed the course, you can read the programmes of the two
performances at the close of the course.
Programme for the Presentation by the
Training and Lower Strings and Wind Bands, Recorder Ensembles and 7+ Choir.
Programme for the Presentation by the
Upper Strings and Wind Band, 10+ Choir, Advanced Recorders and Orchestra.
Chairman's letter to parents, October 2006
Summer 2006 Course
Over 250 young musicians joined the Summer Course at West Road Concert Hall
directed by Russell Keable. The week was a resounding musical success. For the
first time the younger children were given sessions on the gamelan while
African Drumming and Improvisation Workshops were available for the more
experienced musicians. The opportunity was taken to take modern digital images
of the rehearsals and performances for publicity purposes.
For those who missed the fun, you can read the programmes of the two
performances at the close of the course.
Programme for the Presentation by the
Training and Lower Strings and Wind Bands, Guitar and Recorder Ensembles and 7+
Choir.
Programme for the Presentation by the
Upper Strings and Wind Band, 10+ Choir and Orchestra.
Chairman's letter to parents, June 2006
Easter 2006 Course
Senior Strings in rehearsal, Easter 2006
The Easter 2006 Course attracted over 200 children, many of whom were young and
new to Holiday Orchestra. This was gratifying because the course had been
devised to appeal particularly to those early in their musical education.
Tutors rose to the challenge of engaging the children and the final
presentations showed how successful the tutors had been in developing the
children's musical awareness in just four mornings.
For those who missed the fun, you can read the
Programme for the Easter Course Presentation.
Chairman's letter to parents, February 2006
Christmas 2005 Course
Orchestra, Christmas 2005 Course, West Road Concert Hall
The Holiday Orchestra Christmas 2005 Course was thoroughly enjoyed by the young
musicians, parents and tutors alike. The course was a terrific send-off for Ian
Nimmo-Smith, who retired after completing his fifteenth year as Chairman of the
Cambridgeshire Holiday Orchestra Association. At the AGM of the Association new
parents joined the Committee for the first time, so there is much enthusiasm
for the future direction of Holiday Orchestra.
Programme for the Presentation by
the Training and Lower Strings and Wind Bands, Guitar and Recorder Ensembles
and Choirs.
Programme for the Presentation by
the Upper Strings and Wind Band, and Orchestra.
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