The first day: Concerts

Our first day in Menorca and despite not having hardly slept we had to carry out the musical part of the trip with two concerts.

"Es nostro primer dia a Menorca i a pesar de que no vam dormir gaire noltros vam tenir que portar a terme es dos concerts"

The first one in the morning was with the school Guillem had been able to contact to act as our host on the trip. This school, El Colegio Silesià, or as Fredo said it is known... Calos, had kindly let us leave all the instruments there in their music room whilst we went to the Alberg to allocate the rooms and then to have breakfast. Once this was done we made our way back to the school through Ciutadella and then everyone had to move the material into the church where we were to do the concert.










"Es primer concert el vam fer conjuntament amb s'escola des Salesians (també coneguda com Calos) de Ciutadella amb sa que en Guillem havia contactat. S'institut de Ciutadella mos havia deixat que guardessim es nostros instruments mentres anàvem a s'alberg i tornàvem una altra vegada per a fer s'actuació. Quan vam arribar una altra vegada a s'institut per a poder fer es concert, vam tenir que dur una altra vegada tots es instruments fins a s'iglesia on vam fer es concert "




















Everybody's first obligation was rehearsal, despite how everyone was feeling.

"Sa primera obligació va ser ensayar, a pesar de com es sentien"















Soon our contact in the school, Josep Colom, brought down the students of his that were going to perform their own piece of music. They were immediately invited to play with us.

"Prest, es nostre contacte amb s'escola, en Josep Colom, va fer baixar es seus estudiants que tenien que tocar una peça conjunta amb es nostro grupo de música. Ells van ser ràpidament convidats a tocar amb noltros"















When the teachers started to bring in our audience we saw that although we had been told only a couple of classes would be coming to the concert there had obviously been a change on mind. The church soon filled up and we had their whole school there to listen to us. Were people nervous? It would be hard to say as people were so sleepy!

"Quan es professor van començar a arribar, de seguida mos vam donar compte de que, a pesar de que mos havien dit que només vindríen a sentir-nos un parell de classes, tot s'institut sencer havia baixat fins a s'iglesia per a sentir sa nostra actuació. No sabem si açò va fer que es alumnes es posessin nirviosos (nerviosos en català), ja que encara estaven bastant dormits"











In the end the orchestra performed wonderfully, Nothing else matters, Pirates and the blues piece. The Calos group also performed their prepared piece which was a musical composition for xylophone and was extraordinary.

"Finalment, s'orquesta va tocar Nothing Else matters, Piratas del Caribe i una peça de Blues. En canvi, s'institut de Ciutadella només va tacar una melodia amb xilòfons que va estar molt bé"















The audience was enthusiastic and very lively! Everything went really well and it was perhaps over too soon.

"Es públic va quedar entusiasmat. Tot va anar molt bé i potser s'actuació es va fer un pel curta"















After we had packed everything away we were invited to a drink in the bar that is part of the school.

"Después mos van convidar a fer una beguda a nes bar de s'escola"















While we were having a cup of coffee we were able to talk to the director of the school, Genoveva, and the teacher of music Josep, about the trip and the problems or organising such activities in schools today.

"Mentres noltros estàvem fent un cafè, vam estar xerrant amb sa directora de s'institut, na Genoveva, i amb en Josep, es seu professor de música, sobre es nostro viatge i es problemes per a organitzar-ho tot"















Of course not everybody was able to stand the pace.

"Per descomptat, no tots estàven en disposició de seguir es ritme"