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!