Manager's update

We've now spent a week in Lampeter, the weather has been changeable, as has the food! One thing that has been a constant is the eagerness of the Orchestra to learn from the excellent Maestro Takuo Yuasa.

Maestro arrived on course Thursday afternoon and quickly discovered he'd left his MacBook at Glasgow Airport security and the key to his luggage at home! After a phonecall to Glasgow and breaking into his luggage, he spent the evening listening through the door to the Orchestra's last rehearsal before he took over the following morning.

His immediate thoughts were that the horns and brass were too far apart, a casual comment in the SU Bar which led to our stage manager, Welfare Team, me and Maestro himself going into the hall at 10pm and changing the layout - something to keep the Orchestra on its toes the following morning!

From the start of the rehearsal he had the Orchestra hanging on his every word. His first comment as he took his ear plugs out was that he was very sensitive to "loud noise and bad intonation", a comment met with a nervous laughter, universal readjustment of posture and the widening of eyes. It was an excellent first day's rehearsal and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive since.

The annual tutor's dinner is a 'Nash' tradition, an opportunity for the members to get dressed up and sit for a meal with their section tutor and thank them for the hard work put in and advice given. It is also an opportunity for the course awards to be handed out. That is news for a separate Blog, but all were of course richly deserved and congratulations to all.

Since then the emphasis of the morning and afternoon rehearsals has been very much preparing fully for the concert tour. Maestro demands a lot of the Orchestra, but the members are keen to please him and are responding positively and professionally. In the evenings members of the Orchestra have been involved in various musical activities. Someone have been involved in woodwind and brass chamber sessions, the majority have played through two Beethoven symphonies. Jonathan Mann, former leader of the NYOW returned to Lampeter last night for a rehearsal of the 6th Symphony, and this evening Steffan Morris, principal cello is taking orchestra members through the 7th.

Later this evening, the members hold the Cabaret night - a chance for everyone to show a different side to ther talents and for the 'unofficial awards' to be given out. I'm sure a good night will be had by all! Tomorrow the Orchestra will perform an informal concert at Lampeter University before heading off on tour on Wednesday. I can't wait to see this year' orchestra in performance - it's going to be special!