G.P.

Past two weeks I spent conducting Vaasa City Orchestra in 17 concerts we gave to approximately 5000 schoolkids and kindergarteners in Vaasa and the surrounding towns. The idea was to bring the music to the children instead of arranging just a concert or two in the orchestra's home venue.

The tour was a big success. We had a presenter with us, a local singer and actress Wivan Nygård-Fagerudd, who entertained our audiences in both Finnish and Swedish. The orchestra played great all concerts despite surprising acoustics and taxing bus trips. The musicians who presented their instruments to the kids had their own show entirely with funny musical puns.

For me it was a luxury to conduct the same pieces over and over again. Every day I concentrated in improving some specific points in my conducting, and also conducted more and more by heart towards the end of the tour. For your conducting technique it is almost as good as opera!

We were very well received by the young audience and mostly the kids could concentrate really well on the music. Sometimes the smallest kids would live with their whole bodies during the most rhythmical pieces! I was also especially gladdened by the seriousness of the musicians of the Vaasa City Orchestra in undertaking this special task! Kids are our future audience and good music belongs to everyone!