Nicholas Freestone – young musician

The final week in November was the type that makes you a musician.  There were daily concerts and rehearsals for many different projects, and it was a fantastic, but incredibly hectic week.  In fact, I have been so busy in the run up to Christmas, that I only now have time to write about it!

Thursday 29th November

This was the School End of Term concert, and it came after a busy day at school.  Because the Chapel Choir have a lot of important of events to work towards there was a rehearsal after school as usual, before food was provided for us in the dining hall.  Then it was a set of hectic rehearsals, starting with Big Band, before Symphony Orchestra and finally Intermediate Orchestra.  I was one of the only people to be in all three, making it very rushed!

The concert went well, and I should thank Tim and Frances, fellow Horns at SSYO, for coming to augment both orchestras.  The Intermediate Orchestra began proceedings with It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and the Dambusters March.  This was followed by the Flute Ensemble and the Saxophone Ensemble.  The Chamber Orchestra played Sentimental Sarabande from Britten’s Simple Symphony, before it was time for the Symphony Orchestra.  We performed an all Tchaikovsky programme, beginning with Marche Slave, before playing the taxing Romeo and Juliet Overture.  We then treated the audience to his Sleeping Beauty Waltz, a favourite from the ballet of the same name.

Next, the Big Band, and we enjoyed performing five numbers.  We began with A Night in Tunisia, featuring a solo from Tom on the trumpet, before Charlotte’s singing solo, Cheek to Cheek.  This was followed by Dangerman, a harpsichord feature, and then Moanin’, which was arranged by Mr Shepherd himself.  Our encore was the ever popular Starsky and Hutch, featuring a solo from Dave on the guitar.  Quote of the night comes from Don Jenkins our former Big Band director and sax teacher.  When asked what he thought, he replied “Big Band was good; rest was a little dodgy!”

Friday 28th November

After one of the worst days of school I will have for a long time, I travelled down to the Corn Exchange for South Suffolk Youth Music’s annual Gala Concert.  I was playing in the South Suffolk Youth Orchestra and depping in the South Suffolk Youth Concert Band.  The Concert Band began the night with Major Murray, a concert march, and we then played a Cats medley (which was one of the first pieces I played when I joined the Band at the age of 11!) and finished with a medley of Big Band music.

The Orchestra finished everything off, beginning with extracts from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.  This was followed by Kenneth Platts’ Music for the Maltings, originally commissioned by Bedfordshire County Music Service for when their Youth Orchestra played at Snape Maltings Concert Hall in the 1980s.  This very nice piece went down well, and we finished with a medley of songs from Les Miserables.  Full marks to Tim for forgetting his music on the night, and full marks to my dad who went to Northgate to pick me up, instead of the Corn Exchange!  It was, however, a very successful occasion, well attended.

Saturday 29th November

You probably noticed that the School Choir did not take part in the School Concert, and that was because we were singing with the Aldeburgh Music Club Choir and Orchestra in a performance of Mozart’s C minor Mass.  I am happy to admit that this was the event of the week I was least looking forward to, but it was an uplifting and exhilirating experience.  It was the first time that I had sang with a truly massed choir and semi-professional orchestra, with an excellent conductor.  We sang Haydn’s Insane et Vane Curae on our own, with Mr Saunders directing.  Edmund Fivet then took over for the Mozart, and it went very well.  It was probably the least comfortable musically I was to be all week (I got lost at least four times!), but it was a fantastic experience and one I hope to be part of again.

Sunday 30th November

This was Advent Sunday, so very busy for any church musician.  I was playing for the Communion service in the morning, which was unaccompanied, so just hymns.  I did, however, have the somewhat bizzare experience of giving notes and then turning around to sing Alto from the organ loft.  I ended up playing for Choral Mattins too, after a mix-up, and this was once again just giving notes.  I then dashed off to St Edmundsbury Cathedral, where I was accompanying a congregational Evensong.  This was just two hymns and two chants for the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, but it was once again a privelige to play for a Cathedral service.  It was then another mad dash down the A14 to get back (albeit slightly late) for the rehearsal for our Advent Carol Service at church.  It was somewhat un(der)rehearsed, but we got through it, and many members of the choir now felt that Christmas had come.  Another fully hectic day!

Monday 1st December

After school I had a long dress rehearsal and photo session for the Senior School play, Blood Brothers, which I was providing music for.  This consisted of photos and a couple of run throughs (there was a different principal cast each night), before going home for the night at around 9:30pm.  I then had to do a long Economics essay, which I got less than 24 hours notice for – great!

Tuesday 2nd December

The first night of Blood Brothers and nerves were running high.  I was pretty relaxed – for me, the most complex part was the song at the start of each half.  The first half was fine, but at the start of the second half, as the house lights dimmed, I realised that I had not turned my light on.  Still, no time for that, so I played the chord at the start of the song.  The singer came in a couple of tones too high – the first time that it had ever happened.  I took the split second decision to transpose up a tone.  So, I had no music anyway, I had no light, and I was completely guessing what chords to use.  In the end it came together, but the first few bars were utter hell.  Only her singing teacher noticed, which was good, but it was incredibly nerve wracking!  The rest was fine in comparison.

Wednesday 3rd December

The second and final night of Blood Brothers, and I was hoping that the song catastrophe would not happen again.  It all was fine, and one of the stars of the show was fellow musician Sam Wilson, playing Eddie.  I was close to tears in the end, and just held it together to play my final bit of music.  It was an excellent production to be invovled in, and no musical ensemble has ever matched the sense of cameradere you get in a drama production.

So there we are, what a week, I was lucky to be involved with so much – thank you to everybody, and here’s to more in 2009!