Dartford musicians celebrate 50th anniversary of town-twinning
The Karl-Rehbein-Schule in Hanau saw the arrival of young musicians from Dartford Grammar School and Dartford Grammar School for Girls for a music exchange marking the 50th anniversary of the town-twinning of Dartford and Hanau.
Following intensive rehearsals, Dartford Grammar students set off bright and early on Monday 4th November ready for a 10-hour coach journey filled with Netflix bingeing, the flagship GCSE Vocal Group singing, and hours of sleep. Once we had arrived at the Karl-Rehbein-Schule, we were welcomed by their head of music Petra Weiß, with a group of German students and staff eagerly waiting to introduce themselves to their host partners.
The next morning, Dartford students spent the day rehearsing ahead of their 50th Anniversary Concert 2019 which welcomed Deputy Mayor Cllr Rosanna Currans with Dartford Town Twinning Association members to enjoy the celebrations as well as other dignitaries and members of the public.
Concert highlights included Piazzolla’s Oblivion performed by the DGGS Flute Quartet, Michael East’s How Merrily We Live sung by the DGS GCSE Vocal Group, then with the DGS and DGGS Symphony Orchestra rounding off the concert with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 featuring soloist Solon Fountzopoulos, and Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez.
I think the concert was very fun to take part in and it was amazing to see different musicians performing all kinds of music!
Abigail from the DGGS Choir
Solo items included DGS students Liam Bannister and Ethan Travers singing their own arrangement of Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World with guitar and cajon, the DGS band Hurricane performing their original compositions and Mattias Kalesinskas performing Brahms’s Rhapsody No. 2 in G minor.
Following a spectacular concert, Dartford students spent the next day sightseeing in Würzburg where we got to see a world heritage site built in 1720 called the Würzburger Residenz, the Festung Marienberg which is a fortress providing an incredible view of the whole town and surrounding hills, as well as other notable sights.
On Thursday, while Year 11 and Year 13 students spent time revising for their upcoming examinations, all other students had the opportunity to experience the life of a student at Karl-Rehbein-Schule, joining their host partners normal timetables. Following an intensive school day, exchange students had free time to do as they wished with their host partner, with many exploring the wonders of Frankfurt.
With some sadness, Friday was the day that Dartford students would return back home. This has been an unforgettable five days for us – the opportunity of performing in the Marienkirche, experiencing authentic German delicacies and with many having made lifelong friendships, it is fair to say that the Hanau Music Tour 2019 has been this year’s highlight for many musicians.
Hanau was an unbelievable experience, with lots of fun. The concert in the church was brilliant, providing the people of Hanau with a great show.
Harvey from the DGS GCSE Vocal Group
A massive thanks must go to all of the staff who have supported us on the music tour, most notably Mrs Metcalf and Ms Zgoda, heads of music at Dartford Grammar School and Dartford Grammar School for Girls.