EYMW 2017 Student Report: Julia Hamborg
One castle. Seven days. A whole lot of music, laughter and very little sleep.
Welcome to Blankenheim
Just like previous years, EYMW 2017 was an amazing week.
Only 40km from Cologne, Blankenheim seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods and fields. A group of youngsters playing music in a castle for seven days - actually, it was fun!
Getting to the course may have been difficult, but there was a bus from the airport and another from the train station to ensure everyone’s safe arrival.
After the first evening’s rehearsal, participants got to know each other in the bar, playing games and chatting. The next morning, breakfast was at 8:15am, rehearsals started at 9:15am and, by the coffee break, everyone was already talking about how challenging the pieces were.
After a full day of rehearsal, everybody took part in the choir before settling into the bar, where people mingled and groups started to form. More names echoed through the basement bar, and everyone stayed up later.
Coffee, Rehearsals and Karaoke
By the next morning, the demand for coffee had increased considerably. Nobody quite understood how the conductors still looked so happy - we were finding the music so challenging!
At lunch, we compared our chamber music proposals. Half an hour later, music was in the air. Every open door revealed another ensemble or individual practising.
Happy, smiling faces queued for dinner - and then it was time for karaoke night. The bar was crowded, with singing and dancing continuing late into the evening.
Finding the Music
With a sleepy start the next morning, we found the music much easier as we began to get the hang of it.
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 sounded better, and The Firebird started to fly!
I felt a pang of pride as I finished a page without playing any audibly wrong notes. Despite the sleepiness and numb fingers, I was euphoric. The music sounded better and better, and I felt a new level of intimacy with my instrument.
Our afternoon trip to Aachen was spent in the sun, visiting coffee shops and the Cathedral. In the evening, there was plenty of chatter and laughter.
Chamber Music and a Singing Conductor
The Chamber Music Concert was another highlight of the week.
Andy, the conductor, started playing Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano in an attempt to silence us - but instead, we all started singing along!
The choir performed, while different ensembles presented an eclectic programme of classical arrangements, covers and new compositions.
It was a brilliant showcase of the variety of music being created throughout the week and the individual personalities of the musicians taking part.
The Final Concert
On our final full day, there was more playing - and more exchanging of phone numbers.
Then came the final concert.
It was amazing. We made it through!
The audience was enraptured and the orchestra entranced by the familiar sounds that we had spent so many hours rehearsing. After the concert, there was a barbecue in the courtyard where we ate, chatted and partied through the night.
It was the perfect way to celebrate everything we had achieved together.
A Thousand Hugs Goodbye
At breakfast the next morning, nobody quite remembered whether they had actually slept.
We were sad, but excited.
After a thousand hugs, the bus left for the airport while parents piled kids, bags and instruments into their cars. Within moments, only seven or eight people were left behind, sitting on their bags and taking in the sun.
As we sat there, a thought slowly surfaced in our minds - only to become a certainty:
We will be back next year!
Julia
