A Complete Blast!
“This was the best orchestral rehearsal I’ve ever attended!”
Ensemble Reza’s Community Orchestra - Taster session at The Hawth, Crawley
“I had a fantastic experience, playing percussion and being part of an orchestra for the first time. Wonderful tutoring, great camaraderie and stirring tunes. Bravo!”
Ensemble Reza’s Community Orchestra taster session at The Hawth, Crawley on Sunday 5th February was a MASSIVE (85+ people kinda massive) success. Players aged 8 to 86 sight-read and performed four rumbustious orchestral works for mixed-ability musicians.
With twenty five new players trying out Ensemble Reza’s Community Orchestra, stakes were high. But both the fantastic support from professional tutors and infectious comradeship amongst players of all ages and abilities ensured everyone had the best afternoon.
The ever-inspirational Steve Dummer masterfully conducted film-theme favourites including The Godfather and Pirates of the Caribbean whilst entertaining us with his ‘ahhhrrr-ful’ pirate jokes, and we blasted out the most dramatic performance of Holst’s Mars from The Planets. Steve’s advice to “… Go home and hear to the entire work, now you’ve had a go at playing it”, was taken up in our house afterwards. We listened, as Simon Rattle attempted to get the Berlin Phil to perform it to the same heart-stopping level we’d just achieved. Yes, ok… so they played all the notes perfectly, but in terms of atmosphere? Well… Better luck next time, Simon!
As Steve said, ‘Every town should give people this experience. For tackling mental health, being part of a community and working together as a team, nothing beats playing in an orchestra.”
I for one was extremely grateful to be in the town that hosted Ensemble Reza’s Community Orchestra this cold February afternoon.
Thank you Crawley.
Anna, designer, amateur violinist