Orchestra tour to Opatija, Croatia - 2010

Ellie Gaynard, Harri Harper, Kieran Lynch and Jake Coyle :

Anyone passing by the Albemarle at midnight on the 26th July would have sensed the excited anticipation of the crowd of bustling teenagers, hurrying to pile their belongings and instruments onto the coach and race for the best seats inside.  This was the start of our long-awaited tour to Opatija, Croatia.  As much as the coach journey was dreaded, we think everyone will agree that it was all part of the fun - we soon seemed to arrive at the white cliffs of Dover to a chorus of the wartime classic and caught our ferry to Calais.  The next leg of the journey took us to Karlsruhe in Germany – we arrived a little late, very dishevelled, but still in time for dinner and a leg stretch in the next door park before bed.  Another day, another leg and finally 44 hours after departing from the Albemarle we arrived in Opatija.

The first full day saw us take a pleasant sea front walk to the marina to embark on a boat trip along the Croatian Riviera to Medveja down the coast.  We were welcomed on board and given cold drinks, as music was switched on and the boat set sail.  This was a perfectly organised trip and we felt well looked after throughout the day.  After a refreshing dip in the sea, we climbed back on board to enjoy our freshly caught mackerel, with salad, potatoes and bread.  Many people had not eaten fish like this before, so it was a great opportunity to try new things and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal.  On the journey back one of the crew sang traditional Croatian songs, accompanied by an accordion.  This was a nice touch and demonstrated a bit of Croatian culture.  Back on dry land we hurried back to the hotel for our evening meal and to prepare for the first of our four concerts.

On this marvellous and memorable tour, the concerts were the main highlight.  The nerves and anticipation everybody experienced before the concerts were thrilling.  These feelings and emotions ensured that the orchestra and the choir pulled together to produce some fantastic music.  The routine for each concert was by and large the same – the performers would get changed into concert dress, and then spend about 30 to 40 minutes setting up.  This involved unloading the instrument van which was stuffed full with a huge array of percussion instruments, PA equipment, double basses and cellos.  Around half of the orchestra were needed to rush back and forth while the rest of the performers set up the stage as the larger instruments arrived or helped singer/cellist/sound-technician Rebecca Horrigan set up the microphones, speakers and other sound equipment for the choir.  With everything in place, the musicians would then go to fetch their own instruments.   Needless to say, all of this had to be undone once the concert had ended and, with all hands on deck, everyone would pitch in to do this in reverse and pack things back into the van. 

Our first concert took place on the Wednesday and was in a theatre in a town called Rijeka, approximately an hour and a half from Opatija.  The venue was quite grand and we thoroughly enjoyed playing there, producing some wonderful sounds.  Although the audience was not very large, they were very appreciative and the concert was recorded for local television.  Several members of staff and students from both the choir and orchestra were interviewed which added to the whole experience.  Excerpts from this recording are available to view on you tube: click here to watch us!

Our second concert was at the 5 Star ‘Hotel Park’ near to the beautiful mediaeval town of Rovinj, situated at the foot of the Istrian Peninsular.  After exploring the town we were taken to the hotel where they provided us with a fantastic meal.  The concert, beside the swimming pool, was exceptional.  The audience, who were mainly English and German people, all had a really enjoyable time and so did the orchestra; the sun setting on the horizon and the view over the sea towards the beautiful old town created a really wonderful ambience.  Our third concert took place in Vrbnik town square on the island of Krk. The setting was very continental with benches for people to sit on and cafés and restaurants where people could enjoy their drinks, relax, chat and listen. The square contained beautiful buildings that looked as though they had been transported straight from Venice.  The audience here were captivated which seemed to spur us on.  Both the orchestra and the choir gave a fantastic concert which I think was the best of the whole tour. By the end, the square had over 400 people in it and we could have played for longer except that the lighting got very dim and a tremendous thunderstorm was getting nearer and nearer!  On the Saturday we put on some warmer clothes, grabbed our passports and headed out for Slovenia to visit the world-famous Postojna Caves. These are biggest and most beautiful I’ve ever seen - a glorious mix of colours and delicate shapes.  Some formations were like folded cloth, gossamer thin, and these are walls of stone we are talking about.  We went to the peak of the caves and also the deepest part which was when they decided to turn off all the lights... without warning, plunging us all in complete darkness!  The tour guides talked about some of the creatures that actually lived in the caves.  They looked like salamanders which have acclimatized and evolved to live underground in these dark caves.  Also we took two train journeys inside the caves – a strange experience.  The area where the first train took us actually looked like the underground subway.  You could feel wind through your hair and hear the water flowing within the rocks, it was incredible.  Our final concert was at another 5 star hotel - The Kavarna in Opatija - and again, just as at the Hotel Park concert, our audience was mostly English and German.  We played on a large patio off to the side of a hotel where there was a stage and another fabulous view over the sea at night flanked by wonderfully picturesque buildings.  The audience were seated in front of the stage at tables enjoying food and drinks whilst listening to the music.  They thoroughly enjoyed themselves which was evident by the number of encores we played, including a rendition of the ‘Sailor’s Hornpipe’ conducted buy an 11 year old German girl!

The next night we arrived back in Karlsruhe, Germany, the cabaret – which is always a highlight of tour – took place.  It was great to see people come out of their shells to perform so well, especially those who did something different to what we all expected.  The night was a memorable end to a fantastic tour and, for some of us, the conclusion of many years as a member of the music service – we were all asked to take a bow . . .

To conclude, we - on behalf of all of the City of Hull Youth Orchestra and Choir members– would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to provide us with such a wonderful tour and fabulous memories.  We would particularly like to thank Hull City Council, the Friends’ Association and the Reckitt’s Trust for making it possible for us to have this fantastic opportunity – we will never forget it.

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