Costa Blanca 2010

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Once again Lions Youth Brass will tour the Costa Blanca, Spain this summer.

Concert Schedule

Concerts will be as follows:
17 July Albir Beach 20.30
18 July Denia Theatre (c/Calderon, 4) 21.00
19 July Amphitheatre, Benidorm 21.30
20 July alongside Castle Moraira 20.00
21 July Amphitheatre, Calpe 20.30
22 July Lady Elizabeth School, Lliber 12.30
22 July Church Square, Jalon 20.30

A Poster of this years concerts can be downloaded here

Tour Diary

Saturday 17th July

It was a very early start for Tour 2010 as the 37 strong band and 6 of the committee met at Sandbach common at 3:30am to begin our trip (yes, I do mean AM!). After the coach trip to Manchester Airport (driven by Jose as usual) we were soon checked in and boarding the flight to Alicante.

After the coach transfer to our accommodation at the Lady Elizabeth School near Jalon we settled in to the traditional tour style sleeping arrangements (for the uninitiated this is basically indoor camping!) and were soon joined by Brian and Derek who had set off in the van two days earlier than us.

Despite the early start and long journey there is never long until the band are called into action and we were soon off to prepare for our first concert at Albir Beach. Each Concert was organised by local Lions clubs who not only provided us with fantastic concert venues but also managed to provide us with a meal prior to each concert (they really knew how to keep a band happy!)

We were off and running, as with the previous year the audience grew as the night progressed and the concert was a big success. We packed up and returned to base now tired after a 20 hour day but full of enthusiasm for the rest of the week!

Sunday 18th July

Sunday brought us not one, but two concerts to play. After waking up and having breakfast we were soon out to our first performance of the day at the ??? theatre in ??? for a lunchtime performance. A small but appreciative audience enjoyed our first indoor concert of the tour.

Although there was still a little time for sunbathing outside the venue!

The concert was followed up by a meal before we travelled back to base for a little down time. As with the previous two years we were able to use the outdoor swimming pool at the Lady Elizabeth School which provided the band with a good way of letting their hair down and keeping cool in the Spanish sun.

The evening concert was held at the Denia Theatre in Calderon (which was air conditioned, a welcome relief to all of the band!)

Monday 19th July

On Monday we began the day with a rehearsal in the school. Upon our return to England we were due to record two new CD's in three days (one of which was a Christmas CD). This means that despite it being late July and close to 40 degrees we were practicing Christmas Carols (strangers passing through the school thought we had lost the plot!).

After the hard work was done we set of for an afternoon of fun at Terra Mitica theme park near Benidorm. The Band were able to enjoy the theme park rides and even Nigel enjoyed a splash (or two) on the water rides to keep cool!

After the Theme park the local Lions club treated the band to a Chinese meal before it was our turn to entertain them. The Evening Concert was held at the Amphitheatre in Benidorm.

Tuesday 20th July

On Tuesday morning we were able to relax on the beach as we visited the nearby holiday town Moraira. After a spot of sunbathing, some fun in the sea and lunch the band were relaxed and raring to go again!

The evening meal was provided in the stunning surroundings of a Golf Club close to Moraira.

Our evening concert was held on a specially constructed outdoor stage alongside Castle Moraira. We had played here on both previous tours so knew what to expect and nobody left disappointed. A large crowd gathered to watch us perform until every last bit of daylight had disappeared and the band were left playing from memory towards the end with the concert finishing around 10pm local time.

Due to the breeze coming from the sea Katie was employed as soloist stand holder...

Despite the late finish the fun was not over for Tuesday. A players Cabaret night is a tradition of LYB tour that has been carried out many times over the past 20 years, this year was no exception. During some free time in the afternoon players had rehearsed their 'acts' for the committee to enjoy after the concert back at the school. It is a chance for players to bond while having a good laugh and shows off many talents that nobody would have known about!

Hopefully some videos / pictures will appear here soon

Wednesday 21st July

Wednesday began with a morning performance in the square in Teulada. Despite the sun beating down the band played for an hour to passers by in the market town.

During the afternoon the band were invited by our host school to take part in sporting activities. A Sports Science instructor from the school was on hand to coach us in a Volleyball session which many enjoyed, even Derek got quite involved in the refereeing!

The evening concert in the Amphitheatre at Calpe has become our favourite over the three years we have been to Spain. The stunning surroundings combined with superb acoustics and large audience make for a special night every time we visit.

Thursday 22nd July

In order to say thank you to the Lady Elizabeth School for allowing us to set up camp in their superb facilities we performed a short concert in the hall for their summer school students and staff. The Youngest students were amazed by the sights and sounds of a 37 piece Brass Band while the older students really enjoyed our upbeat entertaining set.

After lunch it was back to the Gymnasium in the school, this time to play some Football followed by Spanish Dodge ball alongside the students from the summer school.

Our final performance in Spain was in the Church Square, Jalon (a venue we had played the previous year). This beautiful space is almost completely surrounded by buildings including the huge (and rather noisy) bell tower attached to the church. The Band rounded off the tour performances in style with a large audience left cheering for more by the end.

At the completion of the concert it was time to pack the van and wave Brian and Derek off as they began the long journey through the night to get the instruments home. Meanwhile the rest of the Band were treated to Tapas and refreshments courtesy of the deputy Mayor of Jalon.

Friday 23rd July

With all of the concerts completed and the van battling through France the Band were able to enjoy a day off. It began with a trip to the market at Moraira where lots of presents were purchased for family and friends.

After this we travelled to Aqualande, a water based theme park near Benidorm. An afternoon of swimming, sunbathing, water slides etc. kept everybody happy until it was time to get back to base and ready ourselves for the evening meal.

Since coming to Spain the last night (without a concert) has become an occasion for everybody to dress up for the evening meal. See the group pictures below for the evidence!

For the meal we were back in Moraira again enjoying pizza and pasta at an Italian restaurant. Following this the band headed over to the funfair to let their hair down!

Saturday 24th July

After packing up our belongings, clearing up any mess and cleaning the facilities we had borrowed we headed to Alicante Airport for the journey home.

DISASTER STRIKES!

We were due to fly at 11:50am local time in order to be home for a roast dinner at a pub near Sandbach before playing the 'End of Tour Concert' at Sandbach Girls School 7pm UK time. However, we arrived at the airport to news that an aircraft had broken down and we were not able to fly until around 6pm that evening.

After putting our heads together Jane jumps straight on the phone - within two hours the End of Tour Concert was postponed to the following day at 5pm (at the Boys School as the Girls was unavailable), the meal was postponed until 1pm the following day, the Rotary Club (who organise the end of tour concert and were generously donating the proceeds back to the band) were able to help back home along with a number of Parents who helped unload the van with Brian and Derek and set up the Hall ready for the concert the following day.

Wow - panic over, well apart from the fact that we had to spend 10 hours in Alicante Airport with a party of 37 youngsters. Fortunately everybody just got on with it and the time soon passed.

We eventually reached Sandbach at around 11pm UK time after a very long day (after a very tiring week!).

Sunday 25th July

After spending the night in their own beds, the band and committee met at the Bulls Head in Smallwood (near Sandbach) at 1pm for the Roast dinner that had been booked for 22 hours earlier! Luckily the Bulls Head was very accommodating and brought in extra staff to help serve us our delicious Sunday roast.

The Concert began at 5pm (due to caretakers having to stay late on a Sunday and the band recording a CD over the following three days) and despite the last minute change a large audience was present to watch.

As ever the concert was mixed with fun and sadness as we had to say goodbye to several of our members who were leaving for university / work.

The Golden Generation

During the concert Nigel paid tribute to many of these players individually but as a collective referred to them as our 'Golden Generation' who between them have achieved multiple contest successes at National and local level, hundreds of Tuesday nights spent rehearsing, concerts and tours to audiences throughout the country and abroad and most importantly friendships that will last forever.

Every year players leave but of this years group the band looses several family connections - Alex is the last of 4 Holsgrove children who have passed through Lions (and for much of that time mother Christine has been a dedicated parent helper / committee member) - Neil is the last of 3 Raisbeck's to pass through (although Ian continues now as Musical Director of the Junior Band) - Tim is the last of 3 Bartley's - Alistair is the last of 2 Miles'.

However sad it was this year; there is no stopping the fun in an end of tour concert and the band rattled off some of their favourite pieces from the week before the spectacular finale involving some interesting costumes brought the house down and the curtain down on Tour 2010.

Group Photo's

Front Row Cornets

Back Row Cornets

Horns

Trombones

Euphoniums and Baritones

Basses

Percussion

Conductors

Articles

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