Paella and palm trees for Heathfield Community College’s orchestra

During the first week of the Easter holidays, the Heathfield Community College’s Music department undertook their 6th European Music Tour. Following visits to Italy, Austria and France, this year saw them return to Spain and the town of Tossa de Mar, Catalonia where they had previously visited in 2014.

The aim of these tours is to give students the experience of public performances as well as everything that is involved with rehearsing, setting up, organising equipment and performing outside of their local area. They are an opportunity to work together as a team and provide experiences and friendships to last a lifetime. Over the course of the stay in Spain, students performed three concerts in towns around Barcelona to very appreciative audiences. The concerts were made up of a range of pieces performed by the orchestra, choir and several soloists. The first of the three concerts was in the town square in Lloret de Mar where they decided to get used to performing with a backdrop of palm trees!

They performed a second concert in the resort they were staying in. After the ever present threat of rain, the beautiful sunshine came out to greet their performance in front of locals with a few familiar faces in the crowd! Their third and final concert was at the Hotel Evenia Park where residents at the hotel thoroughly enjoyed the musical programme.

As well as performing, students had the opportunity to visit the Picasso Museum and Gaudi’s Park Guell in Barcelona and a chance to explore the city and sample the local cuisine.

“I really enjoyed the trip because I got to
explore more of Spain and I thought it was
a good experience to be away and try
things I hadn’t done before. The concerts
went really well and the audiences
enjoyed our playing. I hope I get the
chance to go again in the future.”
Anthony Winstanley, Year 8

All smiles at the end of the Heathfield Community College’s Orchestra Tour of Catalonia