AN EXTRAORDINARY CONCERT TOUR
In September 2008 the Symphonic Orchestra from the Basil Music School (Switzerland) was given the chance to perform three concerts in Tuscany. More than 70 young musicians between 15 and 25 yrs old plunged themselves into la Dolce Vita of Italy and clearly loved it. The amazing venues where they played in Montecatini (Terme Tettuccio), Siena (Ssa Annunziata) and Florence (S. Stefano) had a very strong impression upon the young musicians. What's more the evident enthusiasm of the large audiences was felt by the musicians, encouraging them to perform at their best.
There was also scheduled one day of rest, which allowed for a wonderful trip to Pisa and Lucca and the chance to swim at Viareggio. Thanks to the faultless organisation of ASF with Andrea Cavallari and co. and the continued assistance of our kind and competent escort Sara, our trip was transformed into an extraordinary experience, which will stay with us all for a very long time. Thank you.

Anna Brugnoni
Basil Music School Symphonic Orchestra
20/10/2008

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Hi Tamsin,
I hope you had a well-deserved break! The Festival was really a wonderful experience for both our orchestra and the officials. We agree that we have worked and played very hard throughout our Italian journey.
This concert tour would not have been such a successful one if we had not been treated to the hospitality, good organisation and warmth of the Festival organisers (yourself included of course) and our Italian counterparts.
We hope to be able to create more opportunities for our Singapore youth to be in touch with like-minded talented musicians from Italy, so let's look forward to collaborations in the future!
In the meantime, do take care and keep in touch!
Best regards,
Wang Siao Hua
Co-curricular Officer (Music), Education Programmes Division
Ministry of Education Singapore
Singapore National Youth Orchestra

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Dear Tamsin,
On behalf of the AJO we would like to thank you for the fantastic tour that
we have made in July. The AJO members have enjoyed it so much! We've noticed
that there was a very good communication with your organisation and that all
our questions and whishes could be managed. The extra rehearsel with the
Singapore orchestra, that you've arranged, is a very good exemple. The joint
concert in Florence really was the highlight of our tour....
We hope that you are also saftisfied about the tour and that other participants have enjoyed it as much as we did....
Kind regards,
Antoinette van Rijn
Amersfoort Jeugdorkest Utrecht
17/09/2008

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Dear Clara
A very big thank you for a wonderful week in Italy. We had such a wonderful time and will remember Tuscany with fondness. The tour was exactly right - the right amount of rehearsal, free time, sight seeing and concerts. A fantastic experience for every member of the choir.
...
We had such a great time.
Thank you and I hope we can work together again in the future.

Liz Wilde
Chief Executive
Northern Orchestral Enterprises Ltd

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Hi Tamsin,

The tour was great - thank you so much for everything you and your team did for us. I have only heard positive comments from those that I have been in contact with. The concert venues were great. Each one so different and so fun to perform in. I think my favorite was Gemenos. What a beautiful setting - and great acoustics. The accommodation and meals were wonderful.
Paulo was great - what an amazing driver. He took us where coaches shouldn't be allowed to venture. And always with a smile on his face - although we did hear a "mama mia" when he was first loading the coach in Paris. But somehow, after two weeks of shopping we were still able to fit everything into the coach. Gilles was terrific. Always everywhere we needed him to be (even before we knew we needed him there) and so helpful with the equipment and the logistics of the venues. Anne and Patrizia were great. They sure worked hard to keep the "issues" invisible. Patrizia was so helpful and it was nice to get her perspective on Italy in the stories she related as we passed through the various regions. She really seemed to become part of the family...
Until the next trip, I wish you all the best, and thank you again for everything.
Cheers,
Roy Townend
New Edmonton Wind Sinfonia
12/08/2008

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Hi Tamsin,

I had a really good chat with Brighton director Andy Sherwood yesterday and he was really thrilled with his tour & said that the concerts were brilliant and the tour managers excellent.
best wishes,

Pippy
OneStage Specialist Concert Tours
24/07/2008

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Hi Tamsin,

Thanks for the articles! I'm very delighted that the concerts were much appreciated!
During the tour there were no difficulties whatsoever ... I really enjoyed the smooth ongoing during the week and around the concerts. Peteris was a great help, especially with the Bauska concert. He managed to arrange two public transport busses to bring us from the culture hall to the restaurant. That was a welcome surprise, as the orchestra was really tired after the concert and the whole tour. I have not heard a single negative sound from our orchestra members nor Daan. He appreciated the rehearsal room, which was perfect for this purpose.

I was also very pleased with the concert venues. Everywhere we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms, food (toast with caviar in Bauska) and drinks. Everyone was so warm and pleased to see us. All four concerts were well attended, which is also good for the spirit. Even our bus drivers enjoyed every concert, and the whole tour as well.

It's hard to express how much we all enjoyed it, but we are very greatful for the effort you have put into organising this tour!

Thank you so much!

Martijn Verger
VU ORKEST of AMSTERDAM
19/07/2008

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Dear Tamsin,

We are safely home after a wonderful tour that reached a real climax in our concerts in Florence and Montecatini on Monday and Tuesday.

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to visit more with you and Andrea Cavallari on Tuesday evening. I hope that you enjoyed the concert as much as we did. The Terme Tettuccio is a very special place to play and we thoroughly enjoyed performing with our colleagues from Extremadura. They are an excellent orchestra. I think that I have made a genuine friend in Miguel Romea and we are talking seriously of ways in which we can collaborate again in the future.

I would like to thank you and everyone there involved in making our participation in the Festival such a satisfying experience.

With very best wishes to you all,

Yours sincerely,

Stewart Grant, Artistic Director
West Island Youth Symphony Orchestra (Canada)
13/07/2008

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Dear Giulia,

On behalf of the orchestra and myself I wish to thank you for all your
hard work in planning our trip to Italy. It was a "dream trip". There
is little doubt that the planning that you put into the trip really
paid off. ASF are very lucky to have you, I wish you were here in
Ireland and all our concerts would be such fun. You will never know
how grateful we are.
Hotels were super. The second hotel was very kind to us and made
provision for extra time in the pool etc.. The guide was great and we
clicked from day one.

Concerts were a dream. Each one was excellent and while we had a
problem on concert two in Florence we got through it and the remaining
concerts were super.
So all in all it was a fantastic trip and all thanks to you.

Love from the K&S Accordion Orchestra (Ireland)
11/07/2008

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Dear Andrea Cavallari, a short mail to let you know that we have had a wonderful time in Italy. From the members of the orchestra only positive reactions, the same from the team that accomponied the youngsters. The help of Patrizia Smerzu turned out to be very much to the point. Two highlights: the rehearsel and the concert together with Corvallis Camerata on Tuesday and the concert on Thursday in Montecatini Terme: beautiful ambiance and wonderful acoestics.
We all wish you/the festival for the coming days beautifil concerts and a good audience.

With kind regards,

Hein Spanjaard
chairman of the board of JSO De Vuurvogel (Holland)
09/07/2008

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Dear Giulia,

Many, many thanks for the superb organisation of our recent concert tour of Tuscany. It was lovely to meet you and we are especially grateful to Sara and Daniele who both made us feel at home in Tuscany and took great care to ensure our journey was fulfilled.

Everybody had a wonderful time – I am sure we will return to explore more of this delightful part of Italy.

Once again many thanks.

Yours sincerely

Tim Speakman
Burton Concert Band (UK)

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Cara Tamsin e caro Andrea, come state? dopo il vostro grande lavoro della settimana piena di concerti e l'organizzazione dovete essere distrutti! Spero che dal vostro punto di vista tutto sia andato bene. gia 10 giorni fa sono ritornata in germania e nel frattempo ho passata una settimana intensa. Nonostante penso spesso e con tanto piacere al soggiorno dal vostro festival col coro mio. Ci siamo trovati molto bene e anche il coro ne parla con tanto entusiasmo. vi ringrazio per l'invito e il vostro impegno e per la vostra ospitalita. il festival mi e molto piaciuto e l'idea della settimana di musica dal mondo stimo molto. sono molto contenta che potevo partecipare e che la collaborazione coll' orchestra rumena e andata in grande sintonia. secondo me loro sono molto in gamba. mi farebbe tanto piacere fare un nuovo progetto assieme a voi. in tanto sono curiosa cosa scrivevano i giornali sui concerti e sarei contenta se melo spedissi.
tanti baci tabea
Tabea Fischle
Hannover Chor

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Dear Giulia,

We really enjoyed the tour and are very satisfied with the organizing you have done for us. All the children as I know and the parents were happy with the stay in italy.
We had a good rehearsal the first afternoon at the hotell. The next day we visited Lucca (beautiful town!) in the morning before going to Corsanico
in the evening. We were heartily welcomed and the church was nearly filled up with people for the concert.
Next day some of the girls wanted to go shopping in Montecatini. After the lunch we went to Fiorenze. We visited the Uffizi gallery, but we arrived late and were short of time for that visit. After the concert in Florenze we went to a nice pizza-restaurant close to the church.
The next day we left for Siena after breakfast and brought with us the lunch. We placed the instruments in a room belonging to the Cortile del Podestà and went sightseeing in Siena. It was nice to play in Cortile del Podestà, the sound was good and the walls gave an excellent resonance for the music we played. On Sunday we visited Pisa and went afterwards to the beach. In the evening we watched the footballmatch between Italy and France. We went to the citycenter of Montecatini to look at the celebration of the championship.
It was a great experience! Monday we travelled to Perugia and the agriturismo and went to Passignano after lunch. It was a beautiful place and we played the concert outside in a ruin. We found a corner between two walls where we could stand playing. Concerning the sound it was not the best solution to play outdoors, but it was a nice atmosphere with the old ruins and a dark heaven with stars.
The last day we reached to visit Assisi in the morning and after lunch we went to Torrita di Siena where we had a look on the city before we went rehearsing. The local arrangement-committee offerred us dinner before the concert and we were very warmly welcomed. I think there were about the same number of people listening to the concert as in Florence, maybe a few more.
We were very satisfied with both the hotel and the agriturismo and our guide was superb. Give greetings to Aloisia and say she did a great job! Nice to meet you in Florence by the way.
Thus as a conclusion it was a great experience for us to go Italy and for sure we will keep a good memory of it. Maybe it ad been enough for us playing only 4 concerts. The program for the tour was quite dense so some of the younger children got a bit tired at the end of the tour. But at the same time they got a lot of nice impressions from all the places we visited.
We will not hesitate to recommend other orchestras to participate in your festival the coming years.
Best wishes from
Svein Egil (Norway)

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Dear Andrea, Tamsin and Emanuella,
Just a brief note to thank you for organising our tour last week. Everyone without exception, had a fantastic time and the whole affair has boosted the choir's confidence and friendship In a most positive way.
I know how much time and effort goes into organising events like this. The travel arrangements, accommodation, publicity and venues were all superb. This is a great tribute to you all and to your efforts and commitment to a festival which deserves national and international support.
Please let me know about future plans as I'm sure the choir would be willing to return. Our 04/05 season includes Paukenmesse -Haydn, The Armed Man -Karl Jenkins, Messiah -Handel plus a programme of English music from Purcell, Parry, Vaughan Williams, Chilcott and Rutter.
In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you again in July.
With best wishes,
Richard Dacey
Derby Choral Union (UK)

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Cher Andrea,

Je viens d' arriver de Grèce où je suis parti dès notre retour de Toscane.
Un grand MERCI et BRAVO à toi, à Tamsin, Vanessa et Davide et à toute
l'équipe du festival ! Tout s'est très bien passé et l'organisation de la
tournée a été parfaite.
Les 140 collégiens ont été enchantés par l'expérience et ne sont pas près
de l'oublier !!
Une belle production réussie est toujours une grande satisfaction.
Les lieux des concerts étaient tous magnifiques et cela a été un réel
plaisir pour moi comme pour nous tous de venir en Toscane pour donner ce
programme.
J'espère vraiment que d'autres tournées comme celle-ci seront possibles
dans le futur. Le problème, tu le sais, est toujours de rassembler l'argent
!!
WE KEEP CONTACT !
Je te souhaite, ainsi qu'à toute l'équipe du festival, une bonne
continuation et un excellent été.
Très amicalement et a presto, spero
Philippe Béran
Choeur et orchestre des colleges de Génève

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Hi Tamsin,
we've had a wonderful concert-tour in the Provence. Thank you and the
Accademia very much for planning the tour, which unfolded almost
completely according to plan. Where would we've been without you!
Although it was terribly hot, the orchestra played very well, the last
two concerts of the tour being considered the best of all the season.
Especially the people at Bagnol, Aix and Anduse were very nice to us.
Everywhere audiences expressed their amazement with the level of playing
and bought a lot of CD's. The orchestra members where very happy indeed
with the tour, had a lot of fun and are looking forward to the next! I
wrote a memo and put some pictures on
http://www.hjso.nl/?section=home&lang=NL .
Thanks and hope to see you again, yours Eduard.
Eduard Heyning
HYSO (Holland)

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Dear Giulia,
I was sorry not to meet with you, as you did a wonderful job arranging everything. Everyone had a great experience and the group opinion was that it was one of our best tours. I enjoyed seeing some of the small Tuscan towns I hadn't seen before, and the places I have visited many times are still wonderful to see again.
The escorts Katerina and Cloe were exceedingly helpful and friendly, as were the drivers. You are to be commended on the success of the Festival.
Best regards,
Margaret
Maryland Youth Orchestra (USA)

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Hi Jim,
Yes, the tour was a roaring success in so many ways. Thanks for your
company's organization of it. People spoke several times about how impressive
that was.
It was great fun to play the organ and have the choir sing at San Vito. Lovely acoustic and charming old town. the hit however, as you said, was the Castello
Verrazzano, both singing and the whole experience of that place: PRICELESS!
The week really had a nice flow to it, ending with the surprise accommodations
at the Medici farmhouse, singing at the Duomo, and the Castello.
Thanks! I look forward to chatting with you soon.
Michele

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Dear Emanuela
We had such a marvellous time in Florence and Lucca and I must thank you for arranging everything. Everyone thought the trip was just fantastic with your organisation being superb!
We were so glad to have the chance to go to Lucca as well as Florence. We thought it a lovely town and enjoyed the venue very much. If anythihng, the audience were even more enthusiastic than in Florence giving us several 'curtain calls' and we had to do an encore!
When we left to go home we were all on cloud 9 and we are still singing in our heads!
We enjoyed looking at Pisa and the leaning tower but found the airport very slow but even so we managed to get home almost on time!
We now have wonderful memories and photos, posters etc.
Thank you again and hoping that you had a thoroughly enjoyable Easter.
With love
Janet Hammond
Leicester Choral Society

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Dear Luisa,

Now being back for more than one week I want to contact you again, mainly
to say thank you soooo much!
For us it was the first time that we were on a tour with a help like the
one offered by the Accademia San Felice. You all in the office and Catarina
on the tour did a wonderfull job.
You organized everything very good
- venues, where it was especially wonderfull to play in Urbino and Firenze
- Hotel
You offered us help in different questions
- horn player, who was really phantastic and at the same time a nice person
- the fine restaurants, which offered meals for a reasonabole price.
- the guides
All went home full of very good memories... So I want to thank all of you
very much, especially you! Give my thanks and best greetings to everybody
(Caterina, Emmanuela, Tamsin and Andrea)!
With best wishes
Hermann Ostendarp
Mosaico Youth Orchestra (Switzerland)