Clarisse tours Europe with MSE
During the Term 1 school holidays, I went on a performing tour with the Melbourne String Ensemble to Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The tour took three weeks from April 3 – 22. We performed in four concerts, attended masterclasses and did lots of sightseeing!
In Zurich, Switzerland, we worked with the Jugend Sinfonieorchester Zurich from the Musikschule Konservatorium Zurich. We had many intensive rehearsals with this youth orchestra, the highlight being performing with them in two professional concert series in the famous Tonhalle Maag. We also had our own rehearsals and concert in the beautiful Grosser Saal of the Musikschule Konservatorium Zurich. In Stuttgart, Germany, we worked with the Junges Kammerochester Stuttgart (JuKO) from the Stuttgarter Musikschule. Our stay in Stuttgart concluded with a combined concert at the Mozart Saal in Liederhalle Stuttgart. We performed pieces by Bach, Barber, Schönberg, Paganini and Sculthorpe. The audience was very appreciative of our performances as they applauded very loudly.
I stayed with a German host family during my time in Stuttgart. My host family’s daughter, Nina, is a violinist with JuKO. They made me feel very welcome. I picked up a few German words and worked out how to travel by public transport to and from my host family’s house to the music school. I ate a variety of bread and pastries for breakfast. The German pretzels are really tasty!
During the tour, there were many masterclasses. I had the opportunity to perform in two violin masterclasses, one in Stuttgart and another in Vienna. I found the experience very valuable. The feedback gave me a different perspective on how to further improve on the performance of my pieces.
We visited many other cities and towns including Lucerne (Switzerland), Munich, Konstanz, Oberammergau, Fussen (Germany), Strasbourg (France), Salzburg, Vienna, Mondsee and St Wolfgang (Austria). Besides visiting famous castles, abbeys, old churches and museums, I attended a few concerts including performances by the Hagan Quartet, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and cello virtuoso Wen-Sinn Yang. I also had the opportunity to visit Mozart’s Museum in Salzburg and the Interactive House of Music in Vienna. Our tour ended with watching the wonderful performance of the opera ‘Turandot’ at the Vienna Opera House.
I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Europe’s preeminent youth orchestras and perform in their world-class concert halls. The experience was musically enriching and inspiring. I gained a greater understanding of composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Schönberg, and the cities I visited gave me a greater appreciation of the rich culture of classical music and history. My aim now is to pursue excellence in my personal music journey.
by Clarisse Liew, Year 10