Hello there! I am back from my first music camp since August 2019. It was a wonderful week and I was so glad to be back there.
I saw and chatted to lots of old friends.
Great flute section- one regular who I like very much plus a lovely new girl called Claire. The section was really chilled and we all got on and played well.
I got to play 1st flute for Stravinsky's Divertimento from The Fairy's Kiss which was my first choice of piece to lead the section in. It was a really beautiful part with lovely solos which suited my playing. (plus it has a bit in it which sounds JUST like George Michael Careless whisper which is hilarious when you notice it)! I also played 1st flute for John Adam's Chairman dances which were very intense and difficult but really satisfying to get right as well as for A Prayer by Frank Bridge and Suk's Scherzo Brilliante.
Lovely conductors- 2 new ones and 2 old and for the first time it was a 50-50 split on male and female conductors.
The food was amazing! Lisa, the head cook is an absolute genius and uses lots of herbs and amazing flavours. Also such variety. One of the best was a chicken dish where the chicken was marinated in gravy with olives and capers plus rice. Another amazing one was Goat Curry plus Lemon Dhal!
My orderly duty (where you do duties for a day including washing up, cleaning tables, serving food, chopping veg etc) was the easiest one I've ever done and I loved my team. They were so nice and everyone worked hard. N, who is a long-term camper told me she had really enjoyed the shift too and said I had a really good sense of humour which made me really happy as I worry I don't have a good sense of humour sometimes (school reports said I take myself too seriously and CBC tells me I have no sense of humour sometimes)
I wrote a reveille which people enjoyed and complimented.
All the music I played was brand new to me except for Janacek's Cunning Vixen - I played piccolo in that (I played flute 1 last time) and it was a gorgeous part.
CBC and I went swimming twice at the open air lido in town- it was wonderful!
It was perfect weather at camp. Because it is on top of a hill, surrounded by woodland and we play and eat in barns with high ceilings, the weather felt lovely and summery without being unbearably hot. In fact, one morning and two nights felt chilly so I wore a sweatshirt which after so much heat, was a lovely feeling. It was lovely to camp without rain for a chance!
Had a few lovely woodland walks
Dance night was great fun AND we also had a Ceilidh - I played flute for some dances and danced for others.
Enjoyed some recorder chamber music with two very good players.
Camp is the place that CBC and I got together and essentially fell in love. Being back there was really good for us and we enjoyed spending time together.
Today, I went and met my friend Margaret and walked and had lunch together.
Hope you are well!
x