Tours
One of the greatest opportunities offered by the Music Society, especially in the 2010-2011 academic year, are their tours! In September 2009 MUMS took a full symphony orchestra to Bulgaria and in January 2010 the University of Manchester Chamber Choir - Ad Solem - visited Poland.
STOP PRESS!!! MUWO - the Manchester University Wind Orchestra - will be going on tour to Holland in Easter 2010!
*****
POLAND 2010
Ad Solem - The University of Manchester Chamber Choir
Krakow: 10th – 15th January 2010
Ad Solem embarked on their first international tour in recent memory amid weather concerns in Manchester. Just when all appeared to be OK, Krakow airport was closed half an hour before our flight was due to depart. After furious negotiations, a night in The Hampton airport hotel ensued and the first stop on Ad Solem’s choral pilgrimage was the departure lounge in Liverpool airport, where we performed Holst’s Nunc Dimittis.
Sadly this meant that our first concert in the Florianka Hall had to be cancelled, however we still had two exciting venues planned. Thankfully, we were able to travel out the following morning and arrived in Krakow to find even more snow than we had left in Manchester! Our day off left us to sample some of the culture and vodka in the city centre before our first concert the following night.
As we finished rehearsing in the Philharmonic Hall the choir set about flyering for our concert that evening. A titanic effort ensured a fair size of audience for the first outing of our ‘20th Century Choral Music from the British Isles’ programme on foreign soil. In such a resonant acoustic, Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia and our two works by Gabriel Jackson were particularly pleasing.
Following a memorable day for all concerned at the Auschwitz concentration camps, there was the first choir meal, with suitable toasts and hilarity. Our final concert was in the Mirror Hall of the Grand Hotel. Some publicity by way of singing Stanford in the main square before dinner was well received and the reshuffled programme lent itself to the new acoustic as we were able to make use of the balconies within the hall.
After a false start, Ad Solem’s inaugural tour of the 21st Century was a huge success and we hope it will be the first of many.
For a list of repertoire, please see the Ad Solem page.
Tour leaders – Calum Fraser & Scott Bowley
Tour assistant – Benjamin Knowles
*****
BULGARIA 2009
The University of Manchester Symphony Orchestra
Sponsored by the Bulgarian New Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday 2nd September - Over 100 orchestral players sat in Manchester Airport's departure lounge (64 of them MUMS members; the BBC Philharmonic were leaving the UK too!) waiting for their EasyJet flight... Arrived in Bulgarian capital Sofia late at night, just in time for a quick drink and to settle in to our hostels.
Thursday 3rd September - First rehearsal in the Bulgarian Hall followed by a reception at the British Embassy with the British Ambassador Steve Williams.
Friday 4th September - MUMS' first concert abroad for ten years! Well attended by the locals as well as Embassy members.
Saturday 5th September - Hottest day of tour! Coach departs Sofia to take musicians to Plovdiv. Visit a vineyard en route; delicious wine!
Sunday 6th September - The weather breaks and the musicians are soaked by the rain in Plovdiv! Still take the opportunity to visit local sights.
Monday 7th September - Unfortunately our plans to play in the fantastic Roman Amphitheatre in Plovdiv are called off due to an unexpected National Day of Mourning. Weather is pretty drear too. However, the Tour Manager puts Plan B into action and the orchestra rehearses at the town hall where (providing they fix the leaking roof) the concert will be held the following day!
Tuesday 8th September - Despite the continuos rain, the roof has been fixed, and the orchestra present a well-received concert at the Town Hall. The audience enjoy the Bulgarian encore especially and give the orchestra a wild cheer and a standing ovation!
Wednesday 9th September - The coach back to Sofia is quiet today as the musicians recover from a fantastic 7 days. They visit the beautiful, traditional town of Koprivshtitsa on the way. Flight from Sofia in the evening, and back into Manchester beds just after midnight!
Tour Programme:
Schubert - Unfinished Symphony
Conductor - Mark Heron
Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Conductor - Duncan Ward
Soloist - Alice Purton
Dvorak - Symphony No.9 in E minor "From the New World"
Conductor - Mark Heron
Orchestra Leader - Tom Spencer
Orchestra Manager - Kate Blackstone
Tour Assistant - Cathryn Kozlowski
Manager of the New Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria - Vesselin Dobrev
MUMS' Tour Organiser - David Tagg-Oram
STOP PRESS!!! MUWO - the Manchester University Wind Orchestra - will be going on tour to Holland in Easter 2010!
*****
POLAND 2010
Ad Solem - The University of Manchester Chamber Choir
Krakow: 10th – 15th January 2010
Ad Solem embarked on their first international tour in recent memory amid weather concerns in Manchester. Just when all appeared to be OK, Krakow airport was closed half an hour before our flight was due to depart. After furious negotiations, a night in The Hampton airport hotel ensued and the first stop on Ad Solem’s choral pilgrimage was the departure lounge in Liverpool airport, where we performed Holst’s Nunc Dimittis.Sadly this meant that our first concert in the Florianka Hall had to be cancelled, however we still had two exciting venues planned. Thankfully, we were able to travel out the following morning and arrived in Krakow to find even more snow than we had left in Manchester! Our day off left us to sample some of the culture and vodka in the city centre before our first concert the following night.
As we finished rehearsing in the Philharmonic Hall the choir set about flyering for our concert that evening. A titanic effort ensured a fair size of audience for the first outing of our ‘20th Century Choral Music from the British Isles’ programme on foreign soil. In such a resonant acoustic, Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia and our two works by Gabriel Jackson were particularly pleasing.
Following a memorable day for all concerned at the Auschwitz concentration camps, there was the first choir meal, with suitable toasts and hilarity. Our final concert was in the Mirror Hall of the Grand Hotel. Some publicity by way of singing Stanford in the main square before dinner was well received and the reshuffled programme lent itself to the new acoustic as we were able to make use of the balconies within the hall.After a false start, Ad Solem’s inaugural tour of the 21st Century was a huge success and we hope it will be the first of many.
For a list of repertoire, please see the Ad Solem page.
Tour leaders – Calum Fraser & Scott Bowley
Tour assistant – Benjamin Knowles
*****
BULGARIA 2009
The University of Manchester Symphony Orchestra
Sponsored by the Bulgarian New Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday 2nd September - Over 100 orchestral players sat in Manchester Airport's departure lounge (64 of them MUMS members; the BBC Philharmonic were leaving the UK too!) waiting for their EasyJet flight... Arrived in Bulgarian capital Sofia late at night, just in time for a quick drink and to settle in to our hostels.Thursday 3rd September - First rehearsal in the Bulgarian Hall followed by a reception at the British Embassy with the British Ambassador Steve Williams.
Friday 4th September - MUMS' first concert abroad for ten years! Well attended by the locals as well as Embassy members.
Saturday 5th September - Hottest day of tour! Coach departs Sofia to take musicians to Plovdiv. Visit a vineyard en route; delicious wine!
Sunday 6th September - The weather breaks and the musicians are soaked by the rain in Plovdiv! Still take the opportunity to visit local sights.Monday 7th September - Unfortunately our plans to play in the fantastic Roman Amphitheatre in Plovdiv are called off due to an unexpected National Day of Mourning. Weather is pretty drear too. However, the Tour Manager puts Plan B into action and the orchestra rehearses at the town hall where (providing they fix the leaking roof) the concert will be held the following day!
Tuesday 8th September - Despite the continuos rain, the roof has been fixed, and the orchestra present a well-received concert at the Town Hall. The audience enjoy the Bulgarian encore especially and give the orchestra a wild cheer and a standing ovation!
Wednesday 9th September - The coach back to Sofia is quiet today as the musicians recover from a fantastic 7 days. They visit the beautiful, traditional town of Koprivshtitsa on the way. Flight from Sofia in the evening, and back into Manchester beds just after midnight!
Tour Programme:
Schubert - Unfinished Symphony
Conductor - Mark Heron
Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Conductor - Duncan Ward
Soloist - Alice Purton
Dvorak - Symphony No.9 in E minor "From the New World"
Conductor - Mark Heron
Orchestra Leader - Tom Spencer
Orchestra Manager - Kate Blackstone
Tour Assistant - Cathryn Kozlowski
Manager of the New Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria - Vesselin Dobrev
MUMS' Tour Organiser - David Tagg-Oram