Orchestra & Jazz Tour to Lake Geneva

Over the summer, the Churcher’s College orchestra and jazz band travelled to Lake Geneva in Switzerland to enjoy a wonderful mix of performances and leisure activities.

The hotel was situated in a most impressive location, high up a Swiss mountain with glorious views. The orchestra and jazz band gave three concerts in total, the first in the very picturesque medieval village of Yvoire which was situated right on the lakeside. Having explored the lake by boat that day, the pupils and staff enjoyed arriving at the venue by boat and despite the temperature being around 38 degrees, the orchestra and jazz band pulled in a large audience who enjoyed a mixture of styles ranging from jazz, classical to film music and a whole host of exciting pieces.

The group headed for the mountains on the second day for a trip to the Mont Blanc region with a trip up the mountain railway to the Mer de Glace where it was then a short walk down to the ice caves. The concert that evening was in the town of Argentière, near Chamonix. The orchestra played in the square with Mont Blanc as a backdrop. Sadly the rain came down shortly after the concert started, but the entire orchestra (with the help of the audience!) relocated indoors to a packed audience to continue the concert and received a standing ovation at the end. 

The focus of the final day centred around the most amazing Aquapark, where pupils and staff could embark upon some seriously scary rides or relax and swim in Lake Geneva as the water park had its own private beach and swimming area down to the lake. Following this, a very welcome pizza restaurant in Montreux gave the group all the necessary energy to embark on the final concert, which took place in the town of St. Gingolph, right by the lakeside.

Another memorable tour for all those that took part and a final Churcher’s College performance for the U6 musicians.

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