Corrado Trinci

In 1993 Paul was the Guest Conductor of the first orchestra and wind band, with Corrado Trinci taking the string orchestra. Andrew Fowler-Watt took the camp choir and introduced us to some of the negro spirituals from Tippett's A Child of our Time. He also gave a very fine recital during the week and I think he made a crack about my being present at the first performance of a work by Tallis! The first orchestra played Dvorak's New World Symphony. The price of a ticket at the Courtauld Hall was $10.

In 1994 we were very privileged to have a visit from the Tumbuka Dance Company, who gave an informal workshop on the Saturday evening and a concert on the Sunday. Musicampers who attended this performance witnessed a very professional and talented company at work. We hope to have them back again.

Paul Bourdillon was our guest Conductor, with Andrew Fowler-Watt taking the choir, Warwick Smith the wind band and brass group, Jenny Bourdillon the second orchestra, and this year there was a greater emphasis on marimba and mbira playing, which made converts of a number of campers.

Something I have noticed over the years is that choral conductors talk a great deal! With the limited time we have for rehearsal a brief "Back to letter A" is far more effective than "Sopranos you must be ready for your entry in bar 62. I know that it's raining but gazing at the raindrops will not help you with your entry." In spite of these lengthy explanations I am surprised that the choir manages to get through the tremendously large amount of music which they often perform with accuracy and confidence.

Choosing suitable music for a large age group range borders on the impossible: the choice of music lies with the conductor and, ideally, the singers should swallow their preferences and give their full attention to the works on hand. Looking through the tremendously large range of choral music performed the choice made has covered both the easy and the hard, the classical and the modern, the readily acceptable and tuneful to the more elusive and perhaps austere.

Running right through Musicamp is that word "Discipline" and this is, or should be, taught and encouraged at Lesson One whether the pupil is a singer or instrumentalist. Discipline is not a binding with chains but a freeing of restrictions-once the discipline has been learnt. There obviously has to be a light hand, but this in conjunction with the iron fist!

Fees in 1995 rose to $500. An aspect of Musicamp not already mentioned is the logos on the various T-shirts sold year by year. Those responsible for the designs and printing are to be congratulated on the fine work they have produced. Our guest conductor this year was Noel Travers from Cape Town, who has a considerable reputation as a string player, teacher and conductor, and these three qualities were made evident to all of us at his first rehearsal.

All seemed to be going well when, on Monday, I had to drive him to Borradaile Hospital for an emergency appendix operation-but he was back on the rostrum on Thursday! In the meantime I phoned Neil Chapman to come and take Noel's place during his hospitalisation and Neil (with many blessings to you) did just that. Watching Noel back with baton in hand I sincerely hoped that he would not lift his hands too high or become too enthusiastic in the more energetic passages for I did not want him to tear away the stitches!

How Noel coped with the rehearsals and final concert I don't know, but he proved all that is encapsulated in that phrase "A good old trouper". The first orchestra played the Overture to Orpheus (Offenbach), Symphony No 3 (Schubert) and the Carmen Suite (Bizet). ALL the string players took part in Vaughan Williams Concert Grosso. Martin Mapaso conducted the wind band and Colbert Mpofu did sterling work with the marimbas. Guy Cary took over the choir-a position he held for the next five years -and to wind up Musicamp '95 there was a formal dinner on the last night at the Girls School.

We were exceptionally fortunate in securing David Campbell, the eminent clarinettist and conductor, as our UK Guest Conductor in 1996; he was accompanied by his wife Veronica and talented son Jamie. Preceding his arrival a fund raising Barn Dance was held at Prince Edward School, and a good time was had by all who attended. There had been several fund raising activities during the year, which included the "Scales" project, which raised $20 000, the Drakensberg Boys Choir $15 000, Cabby Stirling $5 000, the Barn Dance $3 000 and $1 000 from Martin Mapaso and Elphanet Dapi.

Prior to Musicamp the Campbells were taken around Zimbabwe; there were workshops and recitals in Harare and Bulawayo. The main work for the first orchestra was Dvorak's eighth symphony. Also at this Musicamp was the brilliant band Mhepo, who gave workshops as well as a first-rate concert. Another visitor was a clarinettist, Spencer Pitfield, who is presently studying in Sweden. Yes, there was a clarinet recital by David Campbell in which joined Paul and Spencer.

This year Dorothy Sibson retired as our Treasurer after twelve years of dedicated service in this capacity. Her association with Musicamp, as well as her late husband Robert, goes back to 1964 when they both visited Wilf Budd's farm in Fort Rixon.

Derek Hudson had been our Guest Conductor in 1975 and 1976, and it was good to have him back with us in 1997. Never a dull moment! Playing piano duets and two piano music with Derek is always a pleasure so I was delighted when he suggested that we took up one of the evening entertainment slots.

For the first orchestra Derek chose the Radetsky March (Strauss) and the Emporer Waltz, Holst's I Vow to Thee my Country for choir and orchestra and for the string orchestra Symphony in Bb by Boyce. Guy Cary took the choir in Brahms' Gipsy Songs-a first at Musicamp. We had a contingent from Zambia but unfortunately they had trouble at the border post and had to leave their instruments behind.

Leslie Howard is a renowned exponent of Liszt's piano music and his illustrated talk on the composer at the 1998 Musicamp bore testimony to this. One of the works performed by the first orchestra was Howard's Meditation with marimbas, strings, two clarinets and piano, which was dedicated to Colbert Mpofu. Michael Brownlee-Walker (Bulawayo), presently studying at the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK was the soloist in Beethoven's Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra. It was also refreshing to hear Grainger's Shepherd's Hey and, as a passing comment, it is high time we looked more into the music of this versatile Australian composer.

The choir performed Gordon Jacob's Highways (also performed at Musicamp in 1972 and 1981), which is a fine example of style, atmosphere, sympathetic choral writing and, with Christopher Hassell's poetry, fun to sing. Vaughn Fransch, who was at Musicamp in the Marists Brothers days, conducted the wind band. Anne Sherry conducted the second orchestra and brought the standard to a high and enthusiastic level. At the final supper it was announced that I had been named as the Patron of Musicamp and I am very appreciative of the honour conferred on me.

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