22 Feb 2018
A Dubbo College Higher School Certificate musician has recently returned from a tour of England and Ireland with the Department of Education Arts Unit state symphony orchestra.
Robin Hall, 17, has been playing the tuba since primary school, first taking the instrument up at the suggestion of his band teacher.
The accomplished musician, who completed grade eight with the Australian Music Examination Board in 2017, said his recent tour with the orchestra and senior singers had broadened his experience and given him an insight into the musical nuances of other countries.
"Sometimes the approach to music in other countries is quite different and it is great to experience this because it serves to deepen your understanding of music and recognize there are always alternative methods of playing," he said.
"A trip like the tour I just completed can give you a different mental approach to music and you realise there are ways you can attack a hard piece by tricking the brain into believing you can actually play it.
"The performance experience on the trip was also amazing and I believe the professionalism we encountered in Britain lifted the standard of our own orchestra."
The tour began in Manchester with a cathedral concert and sectional workshops with the combined orchestra and choir from the Royal Northern College.
After a visit to Oxford University the orchestra travelled to London to perform as part of a concert series at the Saint Sepulchre Church, as well as taking in a London Symphony Orchestra concert "The Young Debussy" at Barbican Hall.
Sectionals workshops followed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which Robin said examined different techniques that work for different players.
"After London we travelled to Dublin Ireland via Wales, then moving on to Waterford and Cork for a performance with the Cork ETB Youth Orchestra and Colaiste Choilm Choir," he said.
"We then performed with the University College Cork Chamber Orchestra, before travelling to Limerick for a workshop with the Limerick Music School.
"The last couple of days of the tour included more workshops and a performance at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin with the RTE Choir and RIAM Symphony Orchestra, as well as a performance at Mahoney Hall at the Helix with members from Ireland's National Youth Orchestra."
Robin said the tour provided many incredible experiences, including the development of friendships within and outside the group.
"Really in Dubbo we have no major orchestras so the experience of the tour meant we were dealing with very professional ensembles on a daily basis," he said.
"In many places we also undertook guided tours and it was amazing to think that when we were at Waterford in Ireland we were standing next to a monastery built in the 1200s."