Matt Baines had planned a quiet Christmas school holiday break.
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But, instead he will be picking up his bass clarinet and heading to Europe as part of a regional NSW schools’ band tour.
Matt, 14, is one of four Orange High School students invited to play in the fourth West of the Divide band and vocal tour.
The Year 8 student will join Olivia Maksymczuk, Caitlin Size and Michael Thompson on the tour as part of a crew of 72 musicians from 39 schools from regional NSW.
They will spend two weeks touring Italy and Croatia playing at venues including St Peters Basilica, St Marks Basilica, Vatican City and the Postonja Caves.
Matt said it should be a great trip.
“It’s pretty amazing. I’ve been to England to visit relatives and we went to France too but nowhere where we’re going,” he said.
“It will be pretty cool to play in all the different venues in Europe and it will be really fun to experience the Colosseum.”
Matt said he had been playing the bass clarinet for three years.
“I’m in the school concert band and the symphony wind ensemble at the Conservatorium of Orange,” he said.
He said he would be one of the younger members of the touring band.
“The people who are going [from Orange High School] are at least two years older than me.”
However, he said there were other people his age and some from Year 7 from other schools in the group.
The selection process for the band started with a band camp at the Lake Burrendong Sport and Recreation Centre camp earlier this year.
“I’ve been going to the band camp since Year 5,” he said.
NSW Department of Education spokesman Grant Hatch said the touring group would have some unique experiences.
That included workshops with international maestros and at two Australian embassies, in Rome and Zagreb.
“In Croatia they will live the culture through experiencing a vocal Clapa singing workshop. Clapa is a Croatian folk singing style,” he said.
Mr Hatch said the students would be supported by teachers and music tutors who were professional musicians.
The band will meet again just before the tour starts in mid-January for rehearsals.
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David Fitzsimons
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
