Rehearsing in Full

After a full day of strings-only rehearsals, the orchestra was joined Wednesday evening by its three reed players. Lucky for me, I managed to arrive to listen to the tail-end of the final rehearsal and meet the group as they headed out for a picnic by a picturesque lake not far from town. Though the distance between the Trifolion and our destination was not, as we discovered on the return journey, very far, the gang's team-building exercise in geography (map and compass frequently changing hands) may have extended the trip enough to warrant a leap at the food and drink upon arrival.

Packing for EUBO

Basel, July 14, 2013.

Packing for a three-week tour takes quite a bit of planning, especially if it's your first. This Monday will see the first assembling of The European Union Baroque Orchestra of 2013 at Echternach, a village in the Duchy of Luxembourg. Following six days of rehearsal, the orchestra will head off to Spain, Andorra, Croatia, and Belgium clocking 6 performances by the 4th of August.

Though tours are a fact of life for the large majority professional musicians in popular genres, by comparison orchestra tours are much more of a case for celebration to classical musicians. More so for the gang at EUBO as many of us will be on tour for the first time. Despite our keenness, however, I fear the honeymoon will soon be over.

EUBO and The Heckeler on Tour

On the 16th of July I will take up my position as bassoonist for the European Union Baroque Orchestra with which I will be going on a series of five tours across the continent. Over six months, the ensemble will take on a number of different programs for a variety of forces (from concerti grossi for strings to a full orchestra and choir for Handel's Coronation Anthems) and present public performances from London to Istanbul. Some concerts will be broadcast by local radio and others we hope to record for posterity.

Look for the Flying Saucer for articles on EUBO on Tour

During the weeks I will be on tour, The Heckeler will be publishing a travel diary with behind-the-scenes bits as well as a few other gems like this doodle. You'll be able to keep track of us through the EUBO FB Page, theheckeler.ca's FB Page, or through the tag EUBO on Tour.

So get a lot of sleep this weekend because I'm sure you'll be awake for the rest of July waiting for the next update from the European Union Baroque Orchestra.

The Hornettes to do Ottawa Jazz Festival

Tomorrow (Saturday, June 29) afternoon will be the Jazzfest premier for Ottawa's own The Hornettes. At 14:00 the group will take to the OLG Stage performing a mix of Motown, Soul, and R&B. Formed in 2010, The Hornettes have been making waves in the club scene and have recently released their debut EP. I managed to speak to Jeff deValk, the band's guitarist and main organizer, this week to ask him a few questions...