After an hour-long coach ride to Shropshire, it was right into rehearsals for both the Choral Society and Symphony Orchestra. These long rehearsals provided an amazing opportunity to really get to grips with the music, where we learnt not only how to play the notes, but also how to inject nuance and feeling into the pieces. Spending so much time on detail-work and tackling these challenging pieces ultimately paid off, as both the Symphony Orchestra and Choral Society sounded incredible at the Choral and Orchestral concerts.
With all this hard work, there was also plenty of time to relax and enjoy all the facilities the Pioneer centre had to offer, be it foosball, ping-pong, basketball or just talking with friends for hours on end in the lounge. However, the highlight was the bouncy castle and barn dancing, with both at times descending into chaos.
On the final day, aside from waking up to an elaborate James-Bond/Monopoly themed senior prank, both groups performed a run through of all the pieces and showed off their work over the weekend. It was great for members of both groups to listen to each other’s repertoire, and the fruits of countless hours of practice culminating in one great run-through was truly remarkable.
Overall, the Cleobury Mortimer Residential was not only a wonderful opportunity to practice and make great music, but also a fantastic way to spend time with some great people.
Krishna (Divs)
