Mid-Winter Cheer

Two and a half months of weekly rehearsals and daily practice culminated in our "Youth Orchestra South Canterbury" concert tonight, combined with the Timaru District Choir. I had tried so hard not to be nervous but in the end I just couldn't help it. Fortunately the nerves didn't give me a quivery bowing arm, but a few tricky bits in a couple of pieces that I had only just managed to get to a barely-playable level were my stumbling blocks. Never mind though - one learns in an orchestral performance that if one keeps the bow arm moving and the fingers fingering, without making actual contact, then you can fake it quite adequately ;)  For the most part it was a really enjoyable experience and a huge learning curve.  I've enjoyed my time with the orchestra immensely.  Sadly that will likely be the end of it for me, at least for now, as Fridays need to revert back to family time and the next concert happens to coincide with my parents' arrival from SA - I think I would prefer to spend the evening with them at home!

There I am, hiding in the back row of the first violins section.  Great shot of Jemima, below.

The choir pieces made up the greater part of the evening, to the boys' horror - they did very well for sitting through a two-hour concert.

During our final section, orchestra members were encouraged to dress up in Christmas themed stuff to go with Sleigh Ride, Santa's Classical Christmas, and Silent Night. I preferred to say as inconspicuous as possible :)

I've uploaded a portion of our William Tell Overture to YouTube, which can be viewed by clicking here.