2008 EUROPEAN TOUR REPORT - Field Band Foundation
2008 EUROPEAN TOUR REPORT - Field Band Foundation
2008 EUROPEAN TOUR REPORT - Field Band Foundation
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FIELD BAND FOUNDATION <strong>TOUR</strong> - <strong>2008</strong><br />
SUPPORTERS OF THE <strong>TOUR</strong>:<br />
FLANDERS AND NORWAY<br />
The Norwegian <strong>Band</strong> Federation (NMF) invited the FBF to tour western Norway and perform at the<br />
Stavanger Spilleglede Festival. On our way there we stopped in Amsterdam and travelled down to<br />
Zwevegem, in Flanders to work with VLAMO, the Flemish amateur music organisation. They trained<br />
our FBF members in show design and choreography. In fact they helped us prepare all the elements<br />
required for the Norwegian tour.<br />
Having almost all the cultures from SA represented<br />
in the National <strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong>, we started the<br />
preparatory workshop with Bryan Clarke doing a<br />
team building workshop – many of the youngsters<br />
had not met each other before, but soon he had<br />
them all dancing and singing together.<br />
The Norwegian teachers stationed in SA worked<br />
hard to prepare the music for the trip and Peter<br />
Aaron prepared the choir. Singing was to be one of<br />
the attractions of the tour. Europeans can play in<br />
bands really well but their bands, cannot dance or<br />
sing as well as we do!<br />
For many of our youngsters this was their first<br />
experience of travelling internationally and the excitement ran high. What was impressive was their commitment. It was a<br />
long and tiring tour and much was asked of them and they did their best every time.<br />
FLANDERS<br />
KRUIBEKE is where we had our first performance, at an International Festival – it was obvious that our group understood early<br />
on how to involve the crowds, an important aspect of performing!
Back to rehearsals and learning whilst preparing the shows for Norway. Nancy Catryse (flag handling), Wim de Vlaminck<br />
(marching percussion) and Bart Tienpont (show design) continued their work following-up on the December workshop in<br />
Durban:<br />
Working with the Flemish, Calypso and WIK Show Corps really made an impression:<br />
According to Port Elizabeth FBF trumpeter and student, Keith Esau:<br />
“Bart Tienpont gave us hell in a very subtle way and I think it was a<br />
good thing for me. I am a teacher and I went back to basics and it<br />
could not come at a better time as our nationals are around the<br />
corner. The show design sessions he did with us and the show<br />
analysis was great as it taught us to think”<br />
and Eldrin Elie, also a Port Elizabeth FBF trumpeter had this to say:<br />
“It was interesting to learn how a simple move can make such a big<br />
impact on the field. Now I have a great idea on how to plan our<br />
show. There is a lot to gain from our friends in Belgium”<br />
Thabo Mosime, FBF Melophone from Dobsonville: “I learned a lot from the staff when it comes to movement and music whilst<br />
we don’t forget to involve other sections when it comes to planning the shows and performances. Visiting bands around was<br />
amazing because we learned the Flemish way of doing shows and we also gave them our own way which they really adored!”<br />
A march through the streets of Zwevegem brought Mantsaye<br />
Ngwaila from the SA Embassy in Brussels to observe. She has<br />
obviously missed home quite a bit and could not resist the<br />
temptation to dance with the band in the town square.
ZWEVEGEM: Moving on to perform for the Mayor of Zwevegem was a highlight.<br />
OOSTENDE: The performance in the town square really brought the crowds out.
OOSTENDE: Time to make music together with the WIK Show <strong>Band</strong><br />
This was a very special evening and many friendships were made – we even got the conductor of the band to dance!<br />
The Flemish certainly made a huge effort to host the FBF, a day in Brussels allowed our youngsters a glimpse at their long<br />
history, a visit to Mini Europe really impressed but above all the food got a very high rating! Thank you to VLAMO CEO, Filip<br />
Santy.
Visiting the famous old town square in Brussels<br />
Last night: always hard to say goodbye………..
NORWAY<br />
Layken Lemoor, Stellenbosch FBF pit percussion: “Norway is the place to be<br />
at…the most beautiful place ever…..we had great performances and the<br />
teamwork was just fabulous, very exhausting, but great.<br />
Aubrey Boikanyo, North West FBF Dancer: “I am speechless because it was<br />
so good, we experienced many things we didn’t know. The people were<br />
very kind and loving to us, even crying when we leave….I mean tears out!<br />
I loved Norway!”<br />
S’khumbuzo Madondo, KZN FBF percussionist: “South Africa is a free<br />
country yes, but not as free as Belgium and Norway.”
MASFJORDNES :Performance for the community and as with most of the interactions, this included a session with the local<br />
band where our youngsters taught them an African traditional song, which they then all played together at the concert.<br />
This kind of workshop brings the bands in very close contact and is one of the reasons that so many people in Norway support<br />
this programme as over 22,000 band members have worked with the <strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong> members over the years.<br />
What a setting for a concert – truly magnificently beautiful – we were also lucky,<br />
the concert time was the only time that day it did not rain!
BERGEN: The performance on the square literally drew thousands of people and was the beginning of the National <strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong><br />
“Celebrity Tour!” The reaction of the Norwegians to this tour was really quite incredible – in no time people were rushing to<br />
<strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong> performances and the field band youngsters felt like rock stars as young Norwegian musicians pursued them.
Look at the expression on the Norwegian’s faces – it tells the whole story.<br />
Roderick Smith, Stellenbosch FBF trumpeter: “Working hard in Belgium really paid off in Norway, because our sweat was<br />
turned into ‘Fame’. Everybody in Stavanger recognised us, that you were a member of the FBF – the group with the high spirit<br />
and energy – all our performances were great and the people loved it – I had the time of my life”<br />
BELOW: Proud FBF Chairman, Herman Mashaba and his wife and FBF supporter, Connie, watching the Bergen performance.<br />
ABOVE RIGHT: Connie and Herman with long standing friends of the FBF: Trude Drevland, Deputy Mayor of Bergen,<br />
Lovisa Midtbo, Ex- President of the NMF, Ingunn Ek and Oyvind Storheim - below them the beautiful city of Bergen.
In OS we celebrated Youth Day with Daniel Mosimanegape Stemmer, First Secretary at the SA Embassy in Norway. The<br />
Embassy also supported the NMF in their efforts to bring the <strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong> to Norway.<br />
FROM LEFT: Jan Ole Karlson, NMF Head of Music.<br />
Arild Moen, NMF CEO, Connie, Stig Ryland, NMF Head<br />
of Communication, Herman and Daniel Stemmer in Os<br />
just before the performance.<br />
The concert was in partnership with the wind band<br />
from Os and had an inside and outside element. It was<br />
special seeing our youngsters perform so proudly on<br />
this day.
STAVANGER: EXXON MOBIL was one of the NMF supporters for the Festival so we were asked to perform at their head-office.<br />
As your normal corporate staff they were not sure what to expect but their response was certainly encouraging! Their Texan<br />
CEO Lee Tillman enthusiastically came down to meet the band.<br />
LEFT: The Kings Guard – a great national symbol of<br />
Norway- made up of one year conscripts, youthful<br />
and very good. The National <strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong> and the<br />
King’s Guard shared the billing at most events<br />
which was a true privilege for us.<br />
ABOVE: A Kings Guard with <strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong>ers and young<br />
Norwegian band musicians.<br />
LEFT: Herman with some young Norwegian band musicians.
STAVANGER: Town square performance – thousands of people gathered and cheered the band on.
TATTOO PERFORMANCE: One of the main events - the <strong>Field</strong> band was riveting - our first really professional performance<br />
When the spectators stood up, like one man, after the performance, even our Chairman wept.<br />
Keith Esau, Port Elizabeth <strong>Field</strong> <strong>Band</strong> trumpeter and student: “Bergen was great but with no Bart to check the show and no<br />
Norwegian teachers to check the music we started a little scrappy but the more we performed the better and cleaner the<br />
show and the music got and the crazier the Norwegians went! The highlight was performing with one of the best military<br />
bands in the world – The King’s Guard - I thought they were great, but we really destroyed them with our energy! Never ever<br />
have I imagined anything like it!”
STAVANGER: MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S CONCERT<br />
Sibusiso Mkasibe, KZN FBF Melophone : “Norway is a good country and people there are really into music. Norway I think, like<br />
Africa just because of the FBF”<br />
Thusoetsile Thebe, Kimberley FBF Marimba player: “Every performance we had was nice because we had the crowd’s<br />
attention and we rocked them!
The international co-operation between VLAMO and the NMF ensured that we managed to deliver to the NMF and FK<br />
something of real quality. We felt that this was our chance to say thank you for all the years support by doing our absolute<br />
best!<br />
From the FBF’s perspective the way our members conducted themselves was a great source of pride. They were well behaved,<br />
polite, on time and uncomplaining, no matter how demanding the schedule. It does give us courage for the future.<br />
A VERY TIRED FIELD BAND ON THE WAY HOME!