Music Trip to Northern Italy
Last week, pupils from Broughton and Turton School (Bolton) returned from a packed and rewarding joint concert tour to the Lake Garda region of northern Italy. It was a week of excellent music-making, shared experiences and a real sense of achievement.
Across the tour, pupils gave three full concerts in very different settings. The first, in Brentonico, was for residents of a retirement home and members of the local community. A thunderstorm meant a last-minute move indoors, but pupils handled the change calmly and professionally and performed brilliantly. The residents loved the performance and specifically requested an encore from the choir. As a thank you, pupils then enjoyed some ice-cold drinks and gelato (of course)! Our second concert was in San Zeno di Montagna, a hilltop village with views over the lake. The beautiful venue offered excellent acoustics and the combined ensembles sounded fantastic. The audience response, including a standing ovation, was genuinely moving and a real credit to the pupils’ commitment and preparation. It was a pleasure to see pupils from both schools supporting each other. I’ve never seen a standing ovation on a music tour which was a real testament to the hard work and effort pupils put in during the months of rehearsal leading up to the trip. The final concert in Lazise was held in a busy lakeside square and attracted a large crowd of visitors. The jazz band, choir and orchestra all performed with energy and enthusiasm, and the evening atmosphere was relaxed with lots of attendees visiting from all over Europe and beyond. It was a fitting end to the tour and a clear demonstration of how far the pupils had come musically in just a few days.
There was time between concerts to explore Verona and Sirmione, relax by the pool and enjoy a day at Gardaland theme park. Pupils from both schools mixed well and supported each other throughout, both on and off stage. A special mention goes to Thomas Halstead (Year 9), who was invited to give an impromptu piano performance at a local restaurant in Sirmione. He played beautifully, much to the surprise and delight of the diners and restaurant staff. An apology is also due to Saira Ali (Year 11), who was less than impressed with the high G-forces experienced on the spinning tea-cups at Gardaland, largely caused by Mr Florentine and myself getting slightly over-enthusiastic with the controls!
As Head of Music, I couldn’t be prouder of how our pupils performed and how they represented their schools throughout the week. They worked hard, listened well and delivered music of a consistently high standard. Just as importantly, they looked after each other and embraced the experience fully. My thanks to Miss Peters, Mrs Newton and Mr Florentine for their energy and support throughout the week, to the staff from Turton School with a special mention for John Parkinson (Head of Music), and to our local guide Luigi Boscarelli for his help and good humour throughout the trip as I tried to communicate in (very) broken Italian!
It was a fantastic tour and I look forward to building on this success in future concerts and tours. A huge well done and thank you to all pupils involved. You were amazing!
Mr Shepherd
