Royal Russell School tour, July 2023
Royal Russell School enjoyed a fun and collaborative tour with us in early July, sharing concerts with the Lisieux Conservatoire, College Gambier, and Ecole de Musique ‘Erik Satie’ d’Honfleur.
The first day began with rehearsals at College Gambier in central Lisieux, where they met the 50-strong French youth choir they would be collaborating with for the first time. Focussing on the French-language work ‘La Cuisine de Leonie et Josquin’ by Joubert and the English-language medley from Rodgers and Hammerstein, the two groups mixed both vocally and instrumentally!
Free time followed at Cerza Zoo, where the group enjoyed a workshop based around Polar Bears, with the opportunity to get up close and feed the animals. That afternoon the group performed at the Basilica of Saint Therese in Lisieux to accompany the afternoon Mass service.
The next day of the tour began with Aerial Trekking at Ouilly Aventures in the Suisse Normande, before meeting at the beautiful Chateau Canon for more rehearsals with the French choir and culminating in a packed concert that evening.
The final day began with a visit to Cambremer and the lovely Jardins du Pays d’Auge for a picnic lunch, and then free time exploring the port town of Honfleur. The final concert of the tour took place that evening surrounded by artwork in the central hall of the Musee Eugene Boudin with young musicians from the Ecole de Musique ‘Erik Satie’ d’Honfleur, featuring piano solos intertwined with the choral repertoire.
Musique Anglo-Normande were fantastic. The itinerary put together worked perfectly. Chris is deeply involved in the local music scene, which meant that our concerts were well-attended and involved local musicians. Similarly the activities were all lots of fun and the accommodation worked perfectly. Having Chris around most of the time meant that everything ran incredibly smoothly. I could not name a single negative about Musique Anglo-Normande and would highly recommend them.
Jeremy Franklin, Director of Music, Royal Russell School
