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Test Valley discovers Portugal

The young players of Test Valley Youth Band recently enjoyed themselves in the heat of the Portuguese sun — by winning over the locals to the sound of brass.

Test Valley
 

Test Valley Youth Band recently overcame 40 degree heat to wow the crowds in Portugal, as they took their brand of popular brass band music on a tour of the country in their half term.

Eight in six

The band performed no less than eight concerts in six days, both outdoors and indoors, from a tiny village theatre to a massive bullring. And with audiences of churchgoers, high schoolchildren and bookfair afficienados, the 40-strong band from Andover were the talk of three Portugese cities.

Our trip was a voyage of discovery too, especially for our young musicians, many of whom had never been to Portugal, and for our audiences, many of whom were hearing a brass band for the first timeMD, Steve Large

Discovery

Musical Director Steve Large told 4BR: "Portugal prides itself as a nation of discoverers. Our trip was a voyage of discovery too, especially for our young musicians, many of whom had never been to Portugal, and for our audiences, many of whom were hearing a brass band for the first time."

Venues

The trip included concerts in Sintra, leafy home to Portugal's summer palaces and grand houses, Castello Branco, a rapidly growing town near the Spanish border, and Evora, where Roman and Moorish buildings survive within Mediaeval city walls.

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