VYOA News & Updates

We just played our first concert in France!

Our venue, again, was amazing. Amazing, but really different from the last hall. The hall in Quebec City had clear acoustics where we could hear everything cleanly; here in Paris, we played in l’Eglise de la Madeleine, a very old and majestic church with a very echo-y sound.

There is an exhibit of modern art currently on display there. So, there were plenty of people milling     around while we unloaded the truck and tried to get the rented cellos and basses in tune. Once we started playing our rehearsal, people sat down to listen and clapped after each piece. There were also a lot of people taking pictures of us; one elderly man in particular came up right next to the podium with his camera, and then made Mr. Peters stop to get his picture taken when he went out to check the balance. The modern art was placed all around the inside and the outside of the church. Some people thought it was a little out of place at the old church, but the sculptures, outside especially, were cool.

Just being able to play in one of the big tourist attractions of Paris was an honor. The acoustics, though, were thrilling. We would stop at the end of a piece or at a grand pause, and the sound would continue, even though everyone had stopped playing, and bounce around within the expanse of space above us for almost thirty seconds. Melodies would soar above the accompaniment, echoing back a couple seconds later. The end of Drake Mabry’s Prelude and Tango sounded like a jet taking off! We would all smile at each other at each moment of silence or at a big change in dynamics, listening to the boom above.

Suzanne Calhoun, horn

Here’s looking at them….

(Photos: Troy Peters)

Bonjour tout le monde!

Today we left our  hotel in Québec at about 11 am. After doing a final sweep of the rooms, the hotel staff declared our rooms “marveilleuse” (marvelous). Only one student forgot an instrument!

The busses dropped us off in the square by the Château Frontenac, the most photographed hotel in the world. Then, we split up into groups to explore this oldest walled city north of Mexico. A spacious boardwalk overlooks the St. Lawrence River in front of the Château. This is also the site of the infamous funicular, a glorified elevator originally used to transport goods from the ports to the haute ville. Now, it carries the swarms of tourists up and down between the upper and lower sections of Vieux Québec. And, the lower level  of Old Québec is the dictionary definition of picturesque: narrow cobblestone streets and brightly shuttered stone houses lined up on either side.

For lunch we dined on Ashton’s fine poutine, a delicious Canadian classic of French fries and cheese curds, served with ladles of piping hot gravy on top.

The bus ride back to Montreal was long but thankfully unimpeded by traffic jams along our route. The airport was another story – endlessly snaking lines just for checking baggage and then again for going through security. We still managed to arrive on time to our gate.

So far, our flight to France has been uneventful, except for minor turbulence at the beginning.  Now it’s time for a little sleep before we arrive in Paris in a few hours.

A bientôt!

Blaise Gervais, viola   (Photos: Oliver Ames, violin)

And more…

The VYO has arrived in Paris as of this morning. VYOA Executive Director Caroline Whiddon emailed me moments ago with the following update:

“We’ve been traveling for the last 26 hrs on bus, plane, and bus….. but we arrived safely. The tour has been GREAT so far, and everyone is healthy & happy.  Also, I can see the top half of the Eiffel Tower from my hotel room!”

Rachel Howard forwarded several beautiful photos from the orchestra’s first afternoon in Paris.

Amusez-vous bien!

Lisamarie Charlesworth, VYOA Director of Marketing                                         (Photos: Troy Peters & Rachel Howard, viola)

Yesterday was the last full rehearsal day at the Music Center. The mood was decidedly upbeat. In between large sections of music one could hear Troy’s voice bobbing up and down in volume and the laughter of the students on stage.

Late in the afternoon, the students gathered for VYO senior recognition – kind of an annual ritual Troy holds whether the orchestra is touring or not. He singles out each senior, acknowledges his or her work in the orchestra and awards each student with a certificate. He also relates anecdotes about his experiences with each student – in most cases, these are hilarious tales. He ended the afternoon reminding the orchestra members of their upcoming  musical mission, “You are going to change lives with this music, so remember to be great!”

Afterwards, the students met their chaperones, posed for a few parting “Bon Voyage” photos, enjoyed pizza and attended a French cultural training session.

The sheet music and percussion are packed. The taxi horns (for An American in Paris) are bubble-wrapped. After this evening’s concert at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, it really is Bon Voyage.

Lisamarie Charlesworth, VYOA Marketing Director

(Photos: Caroline Whiddon & David Yandell)