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"

The first day: Playing in Ciutadella

This is the map from Google of the Placa de los Pins, where we played our second concert in the afternoon of the first day.

"Aquest és es mapa on podem veure sa plaça des pins i que hem agafat des google. En aquesta plaça és on vam fer sa nostra actuació des capvespre es primer dia"


Mostra un mapa més gran


After we finished at the school in the morning we went back to the Alberg where we had lunch.

"Quan vam acabar s'actuació des matí a s'institut, vam tornat a s'alberg per a dinar"

The first day: Cap a dinar

Lunch at the Alberg was a nice suprise as it was in fact very good, not to the taste of all the students of course but mainly a success.

"Es dinar de s'alberg va resultar ser tota una sorpresa, ja que va estar bastant bé, tot i que, com sempre, hi va haver algun alumne a nes que no li va agradar del tot"



















In this picture you can see the port of Ciutadella at the bottom of the steps, steps that we had to go up and down every day and once even with all the instruments.

"En aquesta foto, podeu veure es port de Ciutadella baix de ses escales, unes escales que, per cert, vam tenir que pujar i baixar cada dia fins i tot amb es instruments"

Most people were really hungry, perhaps because they didn't eat too well on the boat.

"Sa majoria de sa gent tenia bastanta gana, possiblement perque no van menjar gaire en es barco"











































The cook in the Alberg was lovely the only problem was that she only spoke real "menorqui" and this was actually quite difficult to understand. We were able to practise though and we soon discovered things like "sa aiguuu" for water.

"Sa cuinera de s'alberg era molt simpàtica. S'únic problema va ser que ella només parlava autèntic menorquí, cosa que feia que tinguéssim alguns problemes per a poder-la entendre. No vam tardar gaire en descobrir noves paraules, com "s'aigu", que vol dir "l'aigua""














The only small problem was that everyone disappeared off to sleep after lunch leaving us the teachers to wipe down the tables and clean up the dining room, a lack of understanding about the idea behind an Alberg.

"S'únic petit problema va ser que después de dinar vam tenir que ser es professor (i alguns alumnes, però pocs) qui vam tenir que fer net ses taules i es menjador. Es deurien pensar que estaven en un hotel i no en un alberg"

In the period after lunch most people said they wanted to sleep, and then proceeded to spend the time screaming and shouting just outside our door. To the point where I had to go out and remind them politely to shut up.

"Después de dinar, molts van dir que volien dormir un poquet, però realment es van dedicar i cridar justet davant de sa nostra habitació, fet que va provocar que tingués que sortir unes quantes vegades per a fer-los callar"

Other people were just silly.

"Uns altres, feien tonteries"



This is a first in the now famous series of films called, "Suicidis Menorca".

The first day: Plaza de los Pinos (1)

After lunch, after clearing up after lunch, after sleeping a while, after shouting at the students who weren't sleeping... we went to the Plaza de los Pins and set up for the concerts in the afternoon.

"Después de dinar i después d'have-nos arreglat una miqueta, vam anar cap a sa Plaça des Pins, on vam fer es concert des capvespre"








































Of course some of us worked more than others. Fredo was worried because we didn't have any chairs there at the beginning but he phoned his contact at the council and a lorry soon arrived with all the missing chairs, another example of how any organitzational problems we had were the result of other people's mistakes not his excellent planning.

"Per descomptat, uns vam treballar més que uns altres. En Fredo estava preocupat perque no havien arribat ses cadire. Va tenir que telefonar a nes seus contactes per a que duguessin ses cadires lo més ràpid possible. Sembla que no tothom estava tan organitzat com ho estàvem noltros"















After setting up rehearsal followed.

"Después de muntar-ho tot, vam començar a ensayar"

















When the first concert started we had a good audience of people who had been attracted to the park after hearing the orchestra tune up and rehearse.

"Quant es primer concert va començar, teníem una bona audiència d'espectadors que ens havien sentit tocar en es parc mentres estàvem ensayant"

There was one small problem when Mari Pau completely failed to give the soloist the correct note for the introduction to Nothing Else Matters and the beginning of the song had to be repeated, a mistake that we can forgive I suppose. Fortunately the resulting sound was not recorded by anyone and so has been lost forever.

"Hi va haver un petit problema quan na Mari Pau no va agafar sa nota correcte per a començar Nothing Else matter i vam tenir que repetir es començament de sa cançó, cosa que no va resultar cap problema. Per sort, no vam grabar-ho"

The first day: Playing in Ciutadella... (2)

Once final rehearsing was finished, and Guillem had sorted out the final problems...

"Finalment vam acabar amb es primer ensay i en Guillem va solucionar es problemes"















The first concert went really well, people were more relaxed than in the morning in the school and this showed in the quality of the music.

"Es primer concert va anar molt bé, sa gent estava és relaxada que es matí a s'institut i açó es va notar en sa qualitat des concert"
























Even Mr Poyo was perfectly prepared for the concert, concentration, position, poise...

"Fins i tot es senyor pollastre estava perfectament preparat pes concert, ben concentrat, posicionat, amb seguretat,..."





























Some people were perhaps a little too relaxed but never mind.

"Alguns alumnes estaven potser un poc massa relaxats..."





































The high point of the two concerts would have to be Guillem's face when in the middle of one of the pieces he suddenly saw a friend of his that he hadn't seen for at least six years or so. She also happened to be very attractive and stayed around to chat to him after the concert had finished, much to the delight of the students.

"Es moment més important des concert va ser veure sa cara den Guillem quan en mig des concert ell va veure a una amiga que feia sis anys que no veia. Ella, que era molt atractiva, va xerrar amb en Guillem quan va acabar es concert i, és clar, es alumnes s'ho van passar molt bé fent bromes...."























The second concert was even more relaxed than the first had been but Guillem said he was very happy with the way people had played because they had been enjoying themselves and had relaxed into the music much more than during the morning.

"Es segon concert encara va ser més relaxat que es primer, però en Guillem va estar realment molt content amb sa manera en que es alumnes havien tocat perque s'ho van passar molt bé i van disfrutar molt de sa música"
















Once we finished the second concert, to generous applause fromt the audience that again had gathered, we packed up and had to transport everything all the way across Ciutadella to the Alberg. Not easy, especially considering all the steps involved in going down to the port.

"Quan vam acabar es segon concert, vam rebre un gran aplaudiment per part de tots es espectadors. Vam tenir que transportar una altra vegada tots es instruments fins a s'alberg. Va ser bastant dur, sobretot tenint en compte tots es escalons que hi havia dalt des port"

All in all for the first day in Menorca, for the musical day in Menorca during which the orchestra had to play no less than three concerts it was a tremendous success.

"Total, es primer dia a Menorca vam tocar ni més ni menys que tres concerts amb sa nostra orquesta, fet que va resultar bastant dur (bé, potser no tant....)"

We would like to give out special thanks to Josep and the school of Los Calos in Ciutadella for their hospitality on this trip and also for the wonderful music they played for us and with us.

"Mos agradaria molt donar les gràcies a Josep i s'institut de Calos de Ciutadella per lo bé que es van portar amb noltros i per sa seva hospitalitat, i també per sa bona música que van tocar amb noltros"

Finally don't ever refuse if I want to take a photo of you.



On the way home with all the intruments.

"Cap a casa amb tots ses instruments."