12 April 2011
Abingdon School Orchestra and Big Band returned home after a triumphant tour of four US east coast cities between 2 and 11 April, flying to Boston and returning from Washington DC.
The touring party of seventy-six boys, supported by eight staff, performed three concerts each for the orchestra and the big band, crowned by the final concert in Washington National Cathedral on Saturday 9 April when the orchestra received no less than three separate standing ovations for their programme.
The orchestra played at Worcester Cathedral in Massachusetts, at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, New York City (the St Paul's of NYC) and finally at Washington. Interspersed with these, the big band played at Boston College High School (a 1700-strong Jesuit-founded school for boys), Horace Mann and at The Washington National Cathedral School for Girls.
There were many, many highlights - but perhaps the one that will endure will be the final concert which the Abingdon Orchestra shared with St Albans and the NCS boys and girls and two other schools which were visiting with small choirs from Manhattan, NYC. After a choral first half, it was time for the substantial Abingdon contribution with the Bruch violin concerto (soloist, Charlie Hall), the Mozart aria, "Non piu andrai" (tenor soloist, Humphrey Thompson) and the Saint-Saëns Piano concerto 2 (soloist, Osman Tack).
The Washington audience clearly found Osman's pianistic virtuosity quite breath-taking and rose en masse after his performance. Following that, the orchestra performed Tchaikovsky's exciting Marche Slave, which again saw the enthusiastic audience of more than 600 rise to their feet. This reception was matched only by the enthusiasm with which the host families from both Washington and New York received the Abingdon boys. Many new friendships were forged and new understandings found.
Symbolically, perhaps, the concert finished with some large scale items for a massed chorus of 250 and a combined orchestra of 110 when youngsters from all five schools represented in the programme joined forces for the two National Anthems, two pieces by Parry (I Was Glad and Jerusalem) and an extract, Non Nobis Domine, from Kenneth Brannagh's film of Henry V. The group returned safely to Abingdon in high spirits and a great sense of achievement. This was an epic tour and one to remember!
MAS
