Provence Tour 24 - 30 July 2025
Each summer NYO is invited to undertake a foreign tour. In recent years NYO has performed in some stunning European cities with students exploring locations such as Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin, Edinburgh, Florence, Paris, Prague and Vienna. This year we are really looking forward to returning to Provence in 2025. This beautiful region of France is filled with history and culture and we will have plenty of opportunity to explore and relax alongside the music. We have had incredibly appreciative audiences and great fun on our tours, and having toured with Rayburn in the past, we are hopeful that they will once again help us to organise a brilliant tour experience.
Itinerary
We plan to leave Nottingham via coach from the Becket School in West Bridgford on Thursday 24th July at 1.15pm and aim to arrive back at the school on Wednesday 30th July at 3.45pm. We will hold a post tour concert on Saturday 2nd August at St. Mary's Church, Lace Market Nottingham at 7.30pm.
Full Itinerary (subject to change)
Insurance
PLEASE NOTE: NYO families are responsible for organising their own instrument insurance.
Healthcare Cover Abroad
Applying for healthcare cover abroad (GHIC and EHIC) - NHS
EHIC - European Health Insurance Card (if you have one that is still in date) or GHIC - Global Health Insurance Card (if you want to get one). Please check the terms of these and the travel insurance provided by Rayburns to inform your decision. If you apply for a GHIC and it doesn't arrive before we go, you can still get help with emergency treatment with a PRC - Provisional Replacement Certificate
Other Documents
NYO Tour Parental Consent Form
Useful Information whilst away
Accomodation
Whilst in Provence we will be staying at YMCA Gard Pont D'Avignon. Conveniently located at 7 Bis Chemin De La Justice, 30400 Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, France, just minutes from the historic Pont d’Avignon, it’s the perfect spot to connect, celebrate, and enjoy life by the Rhône. Accomodation is half-board.
HOSTEL CONTACT DETAILS
7 Bis Chemin De La Justice,
30400 Villeneuve-lez-Avignon,
France.
Phone:
From the UK, you would dial:
0033 4 84 51 24 45
Visit website
Email contact@ymca-avignon.fr
The YMCA Gard Pont D’Avignon is a short walk to the Pont du Rouyame. The accommodation for musicians is in dormitories (2-5 people) with ensuite facilities. The staff are in four rooms. You will need to bring a towel (two towels if you want to use the pool!)
The hostel has a pool open from 9am – 8pm (but no lifeguard) and communal areas inside and outside. There is free WiFi for all guests.
Breakfast and either lunch or dinner are provided at the accommodation. Meals at the hostel are self-serve. Timings for meals are included in the itinerary.
Concerts
We have three concerts whilst we are away, all of which are part of the Provencal Festival of Youth Orchestras. It is the 20th anniversary of this prestigious festival which welcomes orchestras from across the world:
Saturday 26 July: 20.30hrs Concert at Collégiale Notre Dame des Anges, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Sunday 27 July: 16.00hrs Concert at Abbaye de Frigolet, Mont de Frigolet, Tarascon
Monday 28 July: 19.30hrs Concert at Place de la Marie, La Garde Freinet
Concert dress is all black as usual. Shoulders need to be covered. Short sleeve shirts are fine. Skirts should (as always) be knee length or longer.
Post-Tour Concert
We will hold a post-tour concert on Saturday 2nd August at St. Mary's Church, Lace Market Nottingham at 7.30pm. There will be a rehearsal 3-5pm at St. Mary's.
The summer tours are aimed to inspire students and help them further their musical journeys and friendships. From the very start of tour everyone settles in to having a great time, creating their own entertainment on the coach, singing, chatting and laughing. The first morning's rehearsal sets the mood for the rest of tour: a fantastic supportive environment created by NYO’s friendly musicians. An open door at the concert venue often results in tourists joining the throng to hear NYO perform. Time off to visit parks, museums and shops, helps to bring the orchestra together with all ages mixing and having fun together.
“Anyone who didn’t know this young orchestra might have wondered if they were pushing their luck in taking Strauss waltzes to perform in some of Vienna’s most prestigious and iconic venues. But long-time admirers will know that there’s nothing which fazes them, as shown by the elegance, style and rhythmic vitality of their approach to Johann II’s Voices of Spring, Blue Danube and Thunder & Lightning Polka.”
— Nottingham Post
“NYO tutors on tour get to be very numerate: imagine how many times we have to count you on and off buses!”
— Andrea Hemmett - NYO Tour Organiser
“I just wanted to say another huge thank you for allowing me to play with the orchestra during the tour to Edinburgh. It was an incredible experience and everyone was so talented, kind and welcoming. It was such a pleasure to be a part of it and I'd love to be able to do it again if you're back in Scotland.”
— Dylan M - Edinburgh 2023
