Andy & Peter\'s Blawg!! from Oslo
Our guest on The Blawg is Peter Jackson who recently played with the European Youth Brass Band in Oslo this year along with three other young musicians from Scotland.
This is his first-hand account of the highs and lows of his week in Norway along with 30 other gifted young brass players from all over Europe.
Diary from the 2013 European Youth Brass Band in Oslo.
When I was first asked to play with the European Youth Brass Band I was at my mates house playing pool. My mobile rang. ‘Hi Peter, it's Andrew Duncan here, I was wondering if you wanted to the play for the European Youth Brass Band in Oslo this year?' I was speechless. I had always wanted a chance to play with the EYBB but never thought it would actually happen. After that evening I literally counted the days till I left and each day I got more excited.
It was Saturday 27th May; ‘D-Day'. I managed to drag my suitcase and my baritone through the airport to meet the rest of the Scottish candidates. I knew all the other Scottish players from the national youth band, which made travelling a lot better!
Arrival in Oslo
I would say my first day in Oslo was my least favourite... many things managed to go wrong. The first incident was the loss of my baritone. Because our flight involved a transfer at Amsterdam, the people responsible for handling our baggage managed to forget my instrument. It meant that I missed the first evening's rehearsal and I had to just sit and listen - which I found very hard as all I wanted to do was play. Another minor disappointment was the walk to our hotel. We were all told that Oslo was very clean and prosperous, but all we saw was poverty. There were some beautiful parts of Oslo but our first impression was the opposite. However, all of this was in retrospect very minor, as the rest of the week could not have been any better.
From the very start we all got on so well. Everybody spoke almost perfect English so there were no communication difficulties. It also helped that everybody couldn't have been nicer. We all knew how to have a good time and I don't think I have ever laughed so much in a single week. We played games one night in the hotel bar. Every single player in the band took part and we were all laughing hysterically which proved we all had a very similar sense of humour. I think this is why I enjoyed the week so much - because of the people.
Rehearsal days
We spent three whole days rehearsing. These days were very intense but also enjoyable, mainly because our programme was so much fun to play. I caught myself several times just listening in bars rest and getting chills. All I could think of was the quality of the band, but what made it a ‘good' band was the constant push of our conductor, Irene Anda. We all had a lot of respect for Irene because she was very experienced and could keep our attention at all times.
First concert in Lillehammer
When it came to our fourth day we travelled about three hours to Lillehammer- a skiing town which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1994- for our first concert in a local church. We were doing a joint concert with a local brass band called Brøttum Brass. Our first concert went so well considering we had only had three days to rehears but obviously we all knew there was room for improvement. One thing I thought I should add is how loud EYBB were. I have never had to play so loud and others agreed, so when we got to the church our sound was obviously far too loud. There were several women at the front who had to cover their ears because of the volume. Being a typical bander, I relished that fact!
Concerts in Oslo
All of the other concerts we did were at the concert hall in Oslo. Our first was playing in the 2nd half of the conductor's competition final concert. I think that this was my favourite concert because it was our first performance in the concert hall. I remember thinking how massive the hall was and how great the acoustics were.
Final Concert
We played at the Gala concert on the Saturday night after the European Championships had taken place, where we played a short programme and then finished the concert with a mass band. The mass band consisted of us (EYBB), the Norwegian youth brass band and the Black Dyke band. We played the Saint Saens Organ Symphony - but with no organ! Nevertheless, the whole experience was amazing. Black Dyke is an absolutely fantastic band and it was an honour to play alongside them.
Brass Party
This was our last night in Oslo. To celebrate we all went along to the ‘Brass Party' which was a party hosted by the European Brass Band Association. It was definitely an appropriate way to end our week. We had all worked so hard and we certainly deserved a drink after being without alcohol for the week! There was an alcohol ban in force on the course. It was a good chance to relax and have some fun but it is fair to say, the early start the next morning was far from pleasant.
During the week, some of the EYBB members created a Facebook page for us to share photos and videos and most importantly to stay in touch with each other. I still glance at the page at look at all the ‘many faces of Mark' and laugh every time I see them.
I can safely say that playing with the EYBB was the best week of my life, and I will never forget it.
Peter Jackson is aged 18 and lives in Carnoustie, Angus.
He plays 1st Baritone with the Carnoustie and District Band and Principal Euphonium with
Arbroath Instrumental band, and plays Euphonium with the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland.
Peter is planning to study Euphonium at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in September, and hopes to have a career involving performing and teaching.
