Author: dave

facebook (might be a bit out of order)

As we’re all still floating along on Cloud 9 after the wonderful news/results yesterday, I just want to acknowledge, as a parent, the principals and boards of both Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys. Without their huge support, our kids and their amazing teachers/conductors couldn’t be here doing this. Also, to all the other parents at home – even though you’re not here this time, you’re part of this too – it’s only through your hard work and endless support for your kids that they are up there, doing it, and WINNING!

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Exciting day ahead ! Really looking forward to the Gala Winners concert tonight where we will get to watch Westlake groups perform in the famous Konzerthaus and acknowledge their wonderful achievements of the past few days.

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the storm last night was quite amazing (similar to the one last month) although it seems like there was a bit less damage than last time.

i went in to work normal time without any trouble.

jane and kezia went to a climbing place

this evening jane is out watching a film with Debbie and kezia and me are going to camera club

big winds coming (auckland is where the little arrow is pointing.  it’s going to get a lots blusier!

jane and kezia took pearl to see a couple of relatives then came in to have lunch with me at work (without pearl)

in the evening it was beginning to get really windy so we watched a DVD

you can watch a video of the bands/orchestras getting their results here:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/j21swnmahukpo1t/esther%20tour%20results.mp4

from facebook

Westlake Concert Band and Westlake Symphony, under Warwick Cameron Robinson and David Squire respectively, perform their award-winning recitals in the Musikverein yesterday. Both recitals were incredibly well-received, but the jury especially liked their NZ pieces (Karanga, written by Warwick himself, and In the Lair of the Cave Weta by Leonie Holmes) and in both cases, have asked them to perform them at Gala tomorrow night. Apologies in advance for those of the photos which aren’t of great quality; photography is officially forbidden in the Musikverein; these were taken hurriedly and while trying to keep the camera inconspicuous!!

Westlake have had a fantastic but hot day here in Vienna which included sights, workshops and an evening concert in Bad Tatzmannsdorf. Westlake had a fantastic day in Vienna which included sights, workshops and an outdoor concert this evening with 200+ locals and a noisy dog attending.

 

Update from Vienna and Bad Tatzmannsdorf…

Today the WSO and WCO had their workshops at the university. WSO was first, and really enjoyed working on Frühlingstimmen (Strauss), developing a better understanding of Viennese waltz style. The clinician was Maestro Georg Mark, chair of the orchestral jury. He told us that he was most impressed with the quality of their playing, and that WSO had the best ensemble playing of all the full orchestras – high praise indeed. Then John Alden Stanley from the USA worked with WCO for the next hour, helping to refine the sound and complimenting them on their performance. After this we had a short period of free time in the city followed by a visit to the Haus der Musik, an interactive museum with lots of great activities for the musicians, to enjoy. We were joined by Mr Ferguson, who got to see us walking the whole group of 140 back to the bus meeting point, and then it was off for the journey to Bad Tatzmannsdorf, a spa town about 90m south of Vienna, not far from the Hungarian border. We enjoyed a hasty dinner at a local restaurant, then travelled a short distance to the Musik Pavillion, an amphitheatre in the centre of the village. All four competitive ensembles presented an excellent concert in a rather difficult acoustic, and this was enjoyed by a large and enthusiastic crowd. I braved the Viennese waltz with the orchestra, and the audience members were gracious in their response, so I hope it met with their approval! Then it was back on the coaches for the long drive back to Vienna and a decent sleep in preparation for our long day tomorrow, which will end with the gala concert and awards ceremony – something we are really looking forward to!

you can watch a video of the bands/orchestras getting their results here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j21swnmahukpo1t/esther%20tour%20results.mp4

from facebook

Westlake Concert Band and Westlake Symphony, under Warwick Cameron Robinson andDavid Squire respectively, perform their award-winning recitals in the Musikverein yesterday. Both recitals were incredibly well-received, but the jury especially liked their NZ pieces (Karanga, written by Warwick himself, and In the Lair of the Cave Weta by Leonie Holmes) and in both cases, have asked them to perform them at Gala tomorrow night. Apologies in advance for those of the photos which aren’t of great quality; photography is officially forbidden in the Musikverein; these were taken hurriedly and while trying to keep the camera inconspicuous!!

Westlake have had a fantastic but hot day here in Vienna which included sights, workshops and an evening concert in Bad Tatzmannsdorf. Westlake had a fantastic day in Vienna which included sights, workshops and an outdoor concert this evening with 200+ locals and a noisy dog attending.

Update from Vienna and Bad Tatzmannsdorf…

Today the WSO and WCO had their workshops at the university. WSO was first, and really enjoyed working on Frühlingstimmen (Strauss), developing a better understanding of Viennese waltz style. The clinician was Maestro Georg Mark, chair of the orchestral jury. He told us that he was most impressed with the quality of their playing, and that WSO had the best ensemble playing of all the full orchestras – high praise indeed. Then John Alden Stanley from the USA worked with WCO for the next hour, helping to refine the sound and complimenting them on their performance. After this we had a short period of free time in the city followed by a visit to the Haus der Musik, an interactive museum with lots of great activities for the musicians, to enjoy.

We were joined by Mr Ferguson, who got to see us walking the whole group of 140 back to the bus meeting point, and then it was off for the journey to Bad Tatzmannsdorf, a spa town about 90m south of Vienna, not far from the Hungarian border. We enjoyed a hasty dinner at a local restaurant, then travelled a short distance to the Musik Pavillion, an amphitheatre in the centre of the village. All four competitive ensembles presented an excellent concert in a rather difficult acoustic, and this was enjoyed by a large and enthusiastic crowd. I braved the Viennese waltz with the orchestra, and the audience members were gracious in their response, so I hope it met with their approval! Then it was back on the coaches for the long drive back to Vienna and a decent sleep in preparation for our long day tomorrow, which will end with the gala concert and awards ceremony – something we are really looking forward to!

just work

girls had fun at home

from facebook:

Westlake Symphony and Westlake Chamber Orchestra playing today in the Musikverein under the batons of David Squire and Mark Bennett respectively, they were truly awesome and deserve huge credit. They are, however, up against some really stiff competition, with a lot of other competitors in their sections, including orchestras with players in their 20’s (the age limit for the festival is 30). Competition is now OVER so the pressure off a bit! Just waiting for results, but irrespective, all 4 of the Westlake ensembles competing in this festival have performed at the very highest level and done themselves, the schools and all of us SO proud. Virtute Experiamur!

Dear Westlake music lovers,

Just a couple of results that have come in over the last day or so at the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival 2014 in Vienna:

Westlake Chamber Orchestra: 3rd place, in the toughest category of the whole competition (7 chamber orchestras, mostly university level).

Westlake Symphony Orchestra: 1st equal, tied with the New Jersey Youth Orchestra from the USA.

Westlake Concert Band: 1st place!

Choralation: 1st equal, tied with the University of Pretoria Youth Choir from South Africa.

We believe this is the first time any organisation has taken out three of the five categories at this festival, and certainly the first time that all groups entered have placed. This means that all of the touring Westlake musicians will be performing in the celebration gala concert on Tuesday night.

Super proud of all these young musicians!

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Update for the past couple of days in Vienna (my apologies for not doing one yesterday – too busy preparing for today!)…
Our hotel in an outer suburb of Vienna is quite a complex – huge, with many other ensembles staying here, as well as a whole bunch of sports teams. The rooms are certainly very comfortable, with all the students rooming in pairs. The festival supplies buses for us to get to and from the performance venues, so our regular drivers are having a quieter week, apart from having to drive the truck full of gear to wherever we are going. Yesterday we got to experience the Musikverein for the first time, and it really is as spectacular as we imagined, covered in gold and with amazing artwork everywhere. Choralation was the fourth of five choirs in their category to perform, and presented a much more varied repertoire selection than the others. Of course, Kua Rongo was enthusiastically received by the audience, as was the rest of the programme, which was beautifully sung. Then we had a short amount of free time to explore the shops near the opera house, before heading off to the MuTh (short for MUsic THeatre, home of the Vienna Boys Choir), where the four Westlake groups presented a 75 minute concert in a very friendly acoustic. Then it was back to the hotel for dinner, and the three instrumental ensembles had their final rehearsals before the tour.

This morning we all headed back to the Musikverein, ready for the instrumental ensembles to compete. Concert Band was up against 2 other bands from the USA and Malaysia, playing last in their section. I have to say that I have never heard the Westlake Concert Band sound as good as they did today – their intonation, sense of ensemble and general musicianship were impeccable. The jury thought so too, making some very complimentary remarks to them at the workshop later in the day. After a short lunch break, it was time for Westlake Symphony Orchestra to start the orchestra section of the competition. I could tell before we went onstage that the players were ready, and they proved this during the performance, playing all four works better than they have before. It was such a thrill to stand in front of them on at impressive stage and watch them present a confident, highly polished programme. The New Zealand works went down very well with the audience, with the Lilburn in particular having some really magical moments. After that we heard the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra from Canada present a technically complex recital which demonstrated what the next age group beyond ours can do, and then it was time for Westlake Chamber Orchestra. Once again, the young musicians played in a very mature and musical manner. The Alex Taylor piece was a real highlight – notable for a hushed appreciation from the audience. After a quick group photo out front, it was time to say goodbye to the Musikverein, which will live in my memory as one of the most amazing acoustics I have ever performed in. Concert Band headed off to the university for their workshop, while the remainder of the group walked there via St Stephen’s Cathedral. Choralation then had their workshop combined with the Johnston High School (Canada) choirs, and then it was back to the hotel for an excellent buffet meal and a chance to talk about the exciting achievements of the past couple of days. Without a doubt the Westlake students have been outstanding ambassadors for their schools and country, and we as a staff are incredibly proud of them.

I’m sure you’re all aware by now that Choralation came first equal in their category (tied with the University of Pretoria Youth Choir from South Africa), a really well-deserved reward for all their hard work. We are still waiting to hear about the instrumental groups, but whatever happens, you can be assured that all our musicians have presented top-notch performances.

today we went to howick historic village

signs of spring

early settler houses made of straw (inside and out)

primitive toilet options

after we’d looked round the village and had lunch we drove out to Musik point to look out over the harbour

and see a rock which looked like the british isles (with a very small Ireland as spotted by kezia, but i don’t think you can actually see it on the photo)

this evening there was lots of skyping

we all had a lie in today which was a rare treat

esther then popped up on facebook so we had a quick chat with her and all is well

then we went for a walk round a golf course in muriwai followed by lunch in a cafe

this evening we’ve been out to dinner at my friend Mike from photo club which was nice

kez took these two pictures (above and below)

big dead fish

deadly puffer fish

deadly blue bottle jelly fish

FROM FACEBOOK:

Update from Friday (Salzburg to Vienna)…

We had an early start today in order to get breakfast and pack the buses so we could visit the salt mine at Hallein, Bad Dürrnberg. This was an amazing facility, which I know the students really enjoyed. We started with a train ride into the mine, then had several short videos on route, a boat ride across an underground lake, and two hilarious and somewhat adventurous underground slides with steep drops.

At one point we walked across the border from Austria into Germany and back again – but more than 200m inside the mountain! The whole setup was very clever and well presented, keeping us entertained for well over an hour.

After a few purchases at the gift shop, we were back on the bus for several hours, stopping briefly for lunch at Ybbs. Driving on the motorways (and sitting at the front of the bus) gives you quite an interesting perspective on the quality of driving in Austria. I have noticed that very few people seem to indicate when changing lanes, and the drivers tailgate terribly if another car sits in the speed lane, so not all that different to Auckland, in some ways.

Driving through the outskirts of Vienna was a little depressing – there is more graffiti than I have ever seen in a city – all over buildings, bridges, the stone walls of the riverbanks, and even delivery vehicles. However, as we drove closer to the old city centre, the buildings became more grand and clean, and the streets more narrow.

Since coaches are not allowed in the city centre, we had to hot-foot it about 6 blocks to St Stephen’s Cathedral, where the opening ceremony was held, arriving just before the 4pm start time. This lasted just under an hour, with representatives of all the competing groups introducing themselves to the rest of the festival participants. There were also some items from a local youth choir.

After the ceremony, the students and most of the staff took the coaches to the hotel, while the four directors went off to the conductor’s dinner, which was held at the lovely Restaurant Schubert, located right next to a house where Beethoven lived for eight years. Then it was a rapid taxi ride to the hotel, where Choralation had the final rehearsal before the competition tomorrow. We have enjoyed seeing more and more parents and family arrive to support us, and look forward to seeing both Ms Mexted [headmistress of the girls’ school] and Mr Ferguson at the Musikverein tomorrow!