Successful tour to Amsterdam for Caithness, East Highland and Inverness Concert Bands

7th July 2013

The young Highland musicians performing in the British School in Amsterdam
Three Highland wind bands, comprising pupils from a variety of schools, helpers and music instructors from both the Caithness and Inverness Schools Wind Bands and the East Highland Concert Band, have recently returned from a successful tour to Amsterdam. The group played three highly successful concerts in and around the Dutch capital.

The bands performed concerts for the four hundred pupils of the British School, a joint concert with “Crescendo”, a group of Dutch Wind Bands, in the town of Sassenheim just outside Amsterdam, and at a service of the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. The group also performed an impromptu concert for other guests and passers- by outside the youth hostel they were staying in, which was captured for the hostel’s Facebook page.

All concerts were exceptionally well received, with the Sassenheim concert being broadcast live on the local radio station, Radio Boterbloem (Radio Buttercup). “Crescendo” of Sassenheim were presented with a commemorative plate specially commissioned from Tain Pottery, to thank them for being such generous hosts to the Highland bands over the course of the visit.

The bands also spent time taking in the other highlights of Amsterdam, with a boat trip through the canals, and visits to the Westerkerk where Rembrandt is buried, the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum and the Henry Moore Sculpture garden. A particular highlight was an outing to an orchestral concert in the world famous Concertgebouw Concert Hall for a performance by the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

This was the first time that many of the youngsters had attended an occasion like this and the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly a spell binding orchestral rendition of a summarised Ring Cycle by Wagner. After the performance, to the surprise of all, some of the musicians spent time speaking to the band, making what was already a fantastic evening extra special.

Many thanks must be given to all the fundraisers who bag packed, sold raffle tickets and quiz sheets or took part in the extreme rehearsal at the top of the Fyrish Monument in May to make this tour possible. Thanks also to Invergordon, Fortrose, Nairn and Tain Academies, Inverness High School and Jim Arthur of Tain, for their generous donations.