BY LILY BRYANT
Every January, hundreds of Australia’s top young musicians gather in the sweltering heat to spend two weeks working with some of the world’s top conductors, composers, and instrumentalists.
This phenomenon is known as National Music Camp, a program run by the Australian Youth Orchestra to provide young musicians with experiences and relationships that last a lifetime.
I was lucky enough to attend NMC 2019, playing flute in the symphony orchestra. It was an incredibly rich and rewarding experience.
And it was also really, really fun.
It’s difficult to describe the two weeks in their full glory, so I’ve put together an insider’s guide to an average day at NMC.
7.30am – Rise and shine. The beautiful ivy-covered walls of St Mark’s College stir with an abundance of sleepy musicians. If your alarm doesn’t wake you, the crescendo of last-minute violin practice will. Time to wander down to the air-conditioned dining hall and hope they’re still serving hot breakfast.
8.30am – Begin leisurely stroll across the river towards the Elder Conservatorium. Hopefully, Adelaide takes mercy upon you and it isn’t 29 degrees yet. Rehearsal doesn’t start until 9.30am, but make sure you arrive early enough to warm up, tune, and frantically practice the difficult bits in Strauss’ Don Juan.
9.30am – First rehearsal of the day. An intensive 90 minutes with one of camp’s esteemed conductors, either Ariel Zuckermann or Giordano Bellincampi. Rehearsals are fast-paced, so be ready to concentrate. Or, if you’re a flautist, be ready to will your fingers to play Pines of Rome at lightning speed. If you’ve done well, maestro Bellincampi will punctuate the rehearsal with his signature exclamation – bravissimi!
11am – Morning tea. Our culinary options were profiteroles, slices, doughnuts, and chocolate eclairs. For many, this was a serious camp highlight.
11.30am – Round two! Now, it’s time for some detailed work on the repertoire with your section, led by some of Australia’s (and the world’s) foremost orchestral musicians. The opportunity to work so closely with such experienced professionals is undoubtedly one of the most valuable aspects of NMC. But make sure you’ve learnt your part before coming to sectionals – there’s no hiding when it’s just you and your tutor!
1pm – Lunch. Again, one of the most highly anticipated events of the day.
2pm – Time for one of NMC’s most unique offerings – chamber music rehearsal. In a truly remarkable feat of organisation, all 200 campers are allocated an ensemble and musical work and, a week later, demonstrate their hard work in a series of showcases. Chamber rehearsals are a crash course in being a good musician; to go from total strangers to performance-ready in just more than a week requires respect, focus, and a good sense of humour. (Of course, if your ensemble is particularly efficient, the last hour of rehearsal can be used for some desperately needed sleep.)
5pm – Concerts, concerts, and more concerts. Although the four orchestral concerts at NMC receive the most press, there are a total of 11 concerts throughout the two weeks, celebrating all kinds of music-making from students and staff alike. The tutors deliver quality performances in their chamber ensembles; the composition ensembles showcase the work of NMC’s four outstanding young composers; and the advanced chamber ensembles bring the house down with performances of some of the biggest works in the repertoire. Every ensemble that performs at NMC 2019 faces a daunting task; namely, to hold the attention of hundreds of hungry musicians, often for hours at a time. For no group does this prove easier than the Brass and Percussion ensemble, whose sarcastic (and raunchy) performance of Caget’s Orchestral Favourites earns them a standing ovation, and a permanent place on the highlight reel for NMC 2019.
6.30pm – A well-needed dinner. Get in quick to avoid missing out on guacamole! And unless you like yellow Zooper-Doopers, it’s important to get in quick for dessert too.
8pm – Time for one last rehearsal. At this point, the campus air conditioning will have reached unworldly levels of efficiency, and despite the outside temperature of 35 degrees, you’ll probably be shivering. Usually this rehearsal is spent consolidating the details that were worked on throughout the day (although the conductors’ main challenge is getting 80 Zooper-Dooper-filled musicians to focus for an hour-and-a-half).
9.30pm – Home time! Stagger back to accommodation, physically and mentally exhausted. Again, if you’re a flautist, feel grateful you only have to lug a tiny instrument back to your room. If you’ve got a modicum of energy left, there’s always the common room, complete with foosball and pool table. But for most of us, it’s time to fight over the limited showers and settle in for a good night’s sleep, getting ready for another day of intense and rewarding music-making.
Listen to live performances from AYO National Music Camp on ABC Classic FM.
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