Europe offers up some outstanding venues where your school, choir, band, or orchestra can perform. Imagine the acoustics that these buildings and squares produce and then add the ambiance and history.
Some suggested locations that you may not have considered.
Noordwijk
This lovely seaside resort between Amsterdam and the Hague is known for both its sandy dunes and its flower bulb fields. If that sounds wonderfully, typically Dutch, that’s because that’s exactly what Noordwijk is!
Your ensemble will have the opportunity to perform in a variety of venues, including the lovely market square in the beautiful city of Delft, and the delightful, traditional wooden hamlet of Zaanse Schans.
And when you’re not performing, there will be loads of opportunity to soak up the local culture and explore. You can spend the day in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, taking a cruise along the famous canals, or visiting the house in which Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis.
Lake Garda
Between Milan and Venice lies the largest lake in Italy – Lake Garda. This spectacular Alpine lake has long attracted tourists from all over Western and Central Europe thanks to its mild climate, elegant towns and villages, and rich history and culture.
Shared between three Italian regions (Lombardy, Veneto and Trento-Alto-Adige), Lake Garda boasts a really interesting cultural diversity.
The backdrop of the dra
matic Alps combined with the tranquillity of the lake itself makes this a simply stunning setting for a school music tour. Plus, it’s also close to the historic cities of Verona and Venice, where it’s possible to perform at Mass at the world-famous St. Mark’s Basilica.
And the shores of the lake really come alive in the summer, when musical performances are regularly enjoyed by locals and tourists.
July tends to be the most popular month for school groups to tour here, as it really does provide a fantastic end-of-year treat, with the opportunity to showcase your ensemble’s hard work and talents to international audiences.
There’s a great range of venues in which to perform in Lake Garda, from churches and theatres to lively town squares and the aforementioned St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. It’s also possible to perform at Italy’s largest theme park, Gardaland!
The theme park holds an annual international music festival that attracts large crowds from all over Europe!
Some details about two venues within the above two towns.
Lake Garda
Teatro Del Castello Scaigero
Concerts take place from around 20.00hrs in the castle courtyard, where a large covered stage overlooks the lake. There is seating for 400 and concerts here are excellent.
Delft
Perform in the centre of Delft’s market place, in front of the spectacular Nieuwe Kerk the tallest building in the city, and the final resting place of several members of the Dutch Royal Family.