The Saga Begins...

 

There is a definite sense of anticipation in St Marks’ College this morning. The Arts Administration and Words About Music (WAM) participants arrived yesterday to a calm and quiet campus, as yet unaware of the hordes about to descend. The afternoon and evening pass in flashes: quick consultations and leisurely conversations, interview locations and the minutiae of camp life. A quiet dinner in a mostly empty dining hall, kept company by piles of registration packs colonising empty tables. Adelaide’s air, soft and balmy, surprisingly cool and humid for this time of year. In the end, the sounds of the evening game of cricket at the Adelaide Oval continued late into the night.

The arrival of more than 200 musicians is relatively smooth. There is a rush of activity whenever a coach disgorges a load, but after the flurry of registration the colleges easily absorb their new residents.  Old friendships are quickly re-established. In some cases, friends haven’t seen each other since last National Music Camp (NMC), the distances between their home towns and cities too great to bridge in person. New acquaintances are made, as participants set out to explore the area and meet those with whom they will be sharing the next two weeks. The delights of the 24-hour Bakery on O’Connell, just up the road, are discussed and disseminated.

Even without most of the campers, the campus is beginning to buzz. The camp tutors are already rehearsing, filling the Elder Hall with the sounds of Paul Stanhope’s Throbbing, while the composer listens, score on lap. Soon Paul will also be busy as the composition tutor. Arts Administration participants bump in and out as required. The WAM attendees are already roaming, setting up interviews and searching for subjects. Meanwhile, AYO staff ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

Dinner with so many people in a single dining room is quite an experience! The smells are delicious, and the long tables running the length of the hall are packed. Campers filter out to sit in the sun, wander around North Adelaide, and, for the very keen, fit in a spot of extra practice. The welcome and briefing goes off without a hitch, introducing a stellar cast of tutors. The composers are now in residence. Finally, rehearsals for two full symphony orchestras and a chamber orchestra get underway. The strains of Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 3, the ‘Organ Symphony, fill the Elder Hall. Some 250 participants are ready to go at NMC 2011.


Anna Doukakis

Words About Music Participant