On April the 14th, The Australian Youth Orchestra lit up the Perth concert hall with an electrifying performance of Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony and the Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th Symphony.
In the beginning of April, The best youth musicians from the ages of 14-25 across Australia came together in Perth to form the Australian Youth Orchestra. I was lucky enough to be a part of this orchestra after having been successful with my audition I filmed last year in October. For one week we would undertake both intense and exhilarating rehearsals in UWA for a week, perfecting the artistic ambition from Shostakovich and Mahler and the emotion that they evoked through their symphonies. Both pieces were certainly both demanding of strong musicianship, requiring heavy emotions and almost perfect cohesion.
The rehearsals started on the night of the 9th of April. The first rehearsal was quite nerve-racking, especially as Winthrop Hall is very large and can be quite intimidating as it is very exposed and audible. However, our conductor Eivind Aadland made us feel very welcomed with his humbleness and soon we played more into the space and played with more musicality. The first rehearsal was followed by a quick briefing and introduction to the week explaining the code of conduct and other important information, this was then followed by dinner.
At the first night, the coach arrived to take us back to our accomodation (Nesuto Apartments by Mounts Bay Rd) at 8:00 pm, where us under 18’s would have to sign in at 8:30 pm for a curfew. (Out of the 74 participants, there was only 7 of us). After arriving back at the apartment we received our room keys and were able to settle into our rooms. My room was located on the second floor, which I shared with another musician who played the viola. The rooms were quite spacious, providing a kitchen, bathroom, couch, all the essentials…
On day 2, I woke up at 6 am, going downstairs for a breakfast early at 6:30. I had some time to walk to Kings Park in the morning before having to leave on the coach to UWA at 9:00 am. Day 2 and day 3 were probably the most demanding, with 3 sessions throughout the day, each around 3 hours long. The first session was a string sectional with our conductor, working first on the Mahler (as it does not include any woodwind, brass or percussion). The next session was a violin 1 tutorial with Shaun-Lee-Chen where we read through the Shostakovich. It was quite nerve-racking playing in the small group as any wrong mistakes (notes or timing) could be heard very audibly given the compact, reverberant room we were situated in. I felt very privileged to be able to hear everyone else play up close, experiencing the sound we made as a section, (it was scary how in tune every-one else was). I learnt many valuable skills from the sectional, Shaun being very welcoming, creating a safe space for mistakes. I think the most valuable thing I learnt from the session was to always play confidently (make your practice worthwhile) with expression, and that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you’re trying to make the best sound possible. After the tutorial I joined my other friends for dinner at the UnderCroft, before attending the final tutti rehearsal for the day at 7 pm. After the rehearsal, we reached the apartments at 10:00 pm and as soon as I got back I knocked out.
Before I knew it I was halfway through the week with day 3. This day was a repeat of day 2, with the same scheduling. Again we worked on the Mahler in the morning before going out for lunch. I then attended the second tutorial with Shaun Lee Chen, where we worked on the Mahler. I found that it takes time to sound together as a section with the Mahler. When we all listened and played together as a section the sound was incredibly beautiful. I was glad that I had practiced variations of shifting and positioning for the same passages in the Mahler as there are many different interpretations of the piece. As a section it was decided thaw e would be playing most lines on the g string which is quite difficult, however produces a different sound to playing on a different string (d or a string). This tutorial opened up new possibilities to section playing and how carefully you have to listen to others so that you don’t accidentally start playing in your own world. With the tutorial finishing early, I attended dinner and the tutti rehearsal at 7 pm arriving at the apartments at 10:00pm. Again, as soon as I got back I was knocked out from exhaustion.
Day 4 was the first day that featured less rehearsals, and also a weather cross where I would be featured on channel 10. Throughout the day there were 2 tutti rehearsals which were 3 hours each. At the end of the second tutti rehearsal the whole orchestra was featured in a live segment on the channel 9 news. After the second rehearsal, everyone else expect for myself and the first desks of each section stayed back for an additional segment. I was interviewed as I was one of two Perth participants (the other being a violin teacher). At 5:55 pm I went live being asked impromptu questions about the orchestra and my contributions alongside my life as a musician. The live interview remains one of the most memorable experiences of my life, being streamed nation-wide live. It was certainly a nerve-racking experience (as many things can go wrong on live television). However, it was a moment which I will never take for granted. After the interview, our orchestra manager drove the other musicians and myself back to the apartments where I went out for dinner and celebrated the day.
You can also catch my interview on PerthNow though this link.
(Links to Perth happenings and The Voice Articles are linked at the bottom of the page)
Day 5 was the shortest day in the week, with only one rehearsal going ahead that day. Eivind was happy with only going through the pieces a few times before he let us go back and rest before the concert the next day. He was also kind enough to offer a conducting class where anyone who was interested could attend. Knowing how exciting the opportunity was, of course I attended accompanied by a few of my other friends. The art of conducting is very interesting and complex, learning many different patterns and ways of conducting in different time signatures and styles. After the class, I had the rest of the day until 9 pm to spend time with my fiends before they flew off. (I ended up going around the city with them, showing them the best tourist places in Perth, (which is not many places)). I could feel the excitement that was building up at the end of the day, anticipating the mammoth of a concert that would take place the next day.
Day 6 was the day of the concert. A quick rehearsal in the morning took place so that everyone could get used to the acoustics of the Perth Concert Hall. After the rehearsal I was very excited and nervous for the night, finally able to let my hard work pay off. The concert couldn’t have been better, the whole orchestra feeling the music as we shook the Perth Concert Hall. (A recording of the concert is available free for 6 months through this link)
https://australiandigitalconcerthall.com/#/item/106326
It was very moving to see the support of my family & friends after the concert, many of them coming along to watch and say congratulations after the concert. I deeply appreciate everyone that has supported me through all my musical endeavours, and hope that I am always able to put on a memorable performance. I am also very thankful to the friends which I made through AYO, and look forward to seeing them in July for the next season of AYO. The opportunity to play alongside high levelled musicians has opened up many new pathways and inspired me to take on new approaches to music.
(PerthNow Article)
(The Voice Article)
(PerthHappenings Article)
