Imagine performing at St Peters Basilica, Vatican City, the Postonja Caves and St Marks Bassilica in Venice.
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Soon this will be the reality for Cowra music teacher Mary-ann Wright as she embarks on the “West of the Divide Tour” next year.
Seventy-two young musicians have been chosen to take part from 39 public schools, all of which are west of the Blue Mountains.
They will form the fourth West of the Divide band tour, which in January next year will travel to Europe for scheduled performances in Rome, Florence, Venice, Bled and Zagreb.
Mrs Wright has been selected as one of 13 supervising teachers for the trip.
“It’s only kids from country NSW,” she said.
“I will also be singing in the vocal ensemble, performing in the Vatican and Venice.”
The 12 day tour features performances across Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.
The two ensembles will perform in some amazing venues and experience workshops with international maestros, school visits and workshops and in two Australian embassies, one in Rome on our arrival and one on Australia Day in Zagreb.
In Croatia, they will live the culture through experiencing a vocal Clapa singing workshop. Clapa is a Croatian folk singing style.
The students have had a week of rehearsals at Lake Burrendong and Mrs Wright says they have improved in leaps and bounds.
“The kids have worked really hard,” she said.
“These kids have had five days to learn it all to get it to a professional standard.”
Three students from Young will form part of the ensemble, while Connor Day, who is the grandchild of Cowra’s Josie Day, has also been selected.