Sunday, June 17, 2012

Tagiev Youth Chamber Orchestra

Have you Ever been in a situation where you wanted the Time to Stop and stay at that Moment for more Time?? Or have you been to an event or a concert and wanted it to continue for more time?? 

This is exactly what happened to me in Tagiev Youth Chamber Orchestra

It was a Last minute Decision for me to attend this Event after inviting my Dear Friend Kiralee to come with me to the Event since she plays the Fluit and she participate in a band as well .. 

Didn't know what to expect since it was my first time to attend such events and to be frank i was not expecting much!!!

But these Young Musicians Blew me Away with their sensational performances .. I was really amazed of how good they were .. and I don't think I would do them justice whatever I write about them because they were Great ..

The Event was on a Sunday Evening at the Rosalie Baptiste Church - 97 Fernberg Road, Paddington.
The date was the 17th of June 2012.

The event was a fundraising Event for the Brisbane International Youth Music Festival to be held in Brisbane for the first time on 25th and 26th of August 2012.

The Tagiev orchestra has toured internationally on several occasions including performances in New York and recently in St. Petersburg. Emin’s idea is to have a classical music festival for young performers that will contribute to further advancing Brisbane as a cultural center of international repute for emerging and established Australian and international artists.

They Performed 10 Musical Pieces for us and as I said i wanted them to carry on and never stop!!


Firstly The Tagiev Junior Ensemble Started the Concert by Playing Three Musical Pieces ..

The first Piece was A. Vivaldi - Concerto for Two Violins in A-min, 1st Movt. 

The Next Two Pieces were: A. Vivaldi - Violin Concerto in A-min, 1st Movt.
The First Piece was a Soloist by Sophia Di Lucchio. 

The Soloist for the Second was : Grace Wu

The concertmaster for this part was Fiona Qui.

In these Three performances I had Goose Bumps Throughout each single performance .. 

Next It was Time for the Tagiev Chamber Orchestra.

The concertmaster was Daniel Tagiev

The Pieces Played were: 

1- A. Vivaldi - Concerto for Two Cellos, 3rd Movt.
Soloists: Cassandra Hansen & Keishi Barnes.

2- J. S. Bach - Concerto for Two Violins in D-min 1st movt & 3rd movt.
Soloists: Eleanor Hill & Mai Yamanaka (1st movt.)

Lachlan Huang & Fiona Qiu (3rd movt.)

3- W. A. Mozart - Sinfonia Concertante, 1st movt.
Soloists: Daniel Tagiev & Cassandra Hansen

after that we had a break to have some snacks and drinks .. also to meet the band and mingle with the audience .. 
Left to Right: Hussain (ME), Lily, Cassandra, Kirralee
after the break we went back to our seats for the second and last part of the Event ..

The Pieces they played in the second part were: 

1- J. S. Bach - Harpsichord Concerto in D-min, 1st movt.

2- C. Saint-Saens - introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. 
Soloist: Daniel Tagiev.

3- J. Brahms - Hungarian Dance.

4- P. de Saraste - Zifeunerweisen.
Soloist: Daniel Tagiev.

And that was the end of Sensational Performances by this Great Youth Group .. Can't wait to see them perform again in the Brisbane International Youth Music Festival.

A Video Composed by Cassandra Hansen about the Concert


Tagiev Chamber Orchestra 
Photo with the Ambassadors
Lily and Cassandra
ME, Daniel, and Emin
Finally, for people who wants to know more about the Brisbane International Youth Music Festival.



The Brisbane International Youth Music Festival incorpsorates:

The Competition:
The Competition is for solo instrumentalists, solo vocalists and ensembles of up to five people who are aged 21 years or under(25 years or under for vocalists) as from 1 August 2012. The first stage of the competition is an audition process. This will be by DVD entry of two contrasting pieces no longer then 15 minutes in duration. DVD applications will need to be submitted by COB on Friday 6 July 2012. From the audition process, contestants will be selected to compete at the Competition Concert. The top six contestants chosen by the jury will win cash prizes and invited to play at the Festival Gala Concert.
1st prize -$3000
2nd prize-$1500
3rd prize- $1000
4th prize- $500
5th prize - $300
6th prize - $200

Additional prizes may be offered

The Festival Orchestra:
The Festival Orchestra is a youth orchestra of talented musicians in the Brisbane area. The existing Tagiev Chamber String Orchestra will form the basis of the Festival Orchestra but other interested musicians will be invited to join as required depending on the repertoire chosen. The 2012 orchestra will predominantly be made up of strings and wind musicians.

Concerts:
There will be two concerts.
The Competition Concert held on Saturday 25th of August 2012.
The Festival Concert held on Sunday 26th of August 2012 will showcase the festival orchestra and six contestants selected to play from the Competition Concert.
The Festival Gala Concert held on Sunday 26th of August will showcase the six winners of the Competition, as well members of the jury who will play with the Festival Orchestra.

Educational Classes:
There will be a number of Educational classes offered as part of the festival to the Festival orchestra members, The Queensland Academy of Creative Industries Music students, Festival Competitors and other interested Musical students keen to attend. It is anticipated that there will be a range of master classes for advanced students and more introductory/elementary classes for intermediate students or in specialist areas not easily accessible for school aged students.

The Adjudicator & Panel:
The adjudicators for the Competition Concert will consist of a panel of eminent Australian and international musicians chaired by Tania Fraser, the Creative Director of QPAC’s Ensemble in Residence – the Southern Cross Soloists.

The adjudicator's will consist of:
Tania Fraser – Brisbane, Australia (Chair)
Oleg Stepanov – Brisbane, Australia
Natasha Vlassenko- Brisbane, Australia
Stefan Kelber – Berlin,Germany
Peter Luff - Brisbane, Australia
Margaret Schindler - Brisbane, Australia

NOTE: the jury may be extended to include other eminent musicians / singers/ music teachers to reflect the breadth of music represented by the top 20 contestants.

For More Information about the Festival and The Tagiev Chamber Orchestra Check Their contact Details:

Brisbane International Youth Music Festival:

Also Check out The Amazing Cassandra Hansen's Websit and Youtube Channel:



Saturday, June 16, 2012

MIRIMAR Cruise and Lone Pine Tour


Once Again it was time for a new Trip and a New Adventure .. It was just a couple of weeks ago when we visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary With some of The Brisbane International Student Ambassadors for the Tourism Queensland Film Shoot ..

This time the Trip is to Discover the Sanctuary and Cruise in the Great Brisbane River .. 

The Ambassadors Got together in the morning and we all welcomed a Very Beautiful Guest (Zoie) Palwasha's Daughter who came to Brisbane to Visit her Mom and Enjoy the Beauty of Brisbane and The Country .. 

Along with Zoie and Palwasha (Pakistan) we also Had Yiki (Hong Kong), Han and Lily (Vietnam), King Ming and James (Singapore), Eve (Thailand), Claire (China) who Turned 20 on this Day "Happy Birthdayt to You Again Claire". also Promode (Sri Lanka) and His Girlfriend Aurélie and Our Friend Mohammad Reza who joined us at the Sanctuary .. 
List of Ambassador joining this Trip
King Ming New Look and Haircut
Claire (China) and Yiki (Hong Kong) Excited about the trip

Eve (Thailand) also Excited about The Trip
The MIRIMAR Cruises Departs Daily from Cultural Centre Pontoon, Stanley Tunnel, River Boardwalk, South Brisbane at 10am.

MIRIMAR is a popular Brisbane river cruise that has been taking locals and visitors to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary for over 70 years and is a “must do” experience while in Brisbane. Our Koala and River Cruise is the PERFECT way to get up close and personal with Australia’s cuddliest creatures while enjoying the sights and sounds of Brisbane’s most attractive waterfront suburbs, ONLY accessible by boat.

Prices for the Koala & River Cruise

Price includes round trip cruise and entry into the Park.
Adult$65
Concession
Australian seniors, pensioners, students only
$57.50
Children (ages 3 — 13)$38
Family (2 Adults and up to 3 children)$190
One way cruise is also available. Price does not include return trip or entry into the Park. Return to the City from this tour is at you own convenience by bus or taxi.
Adults $27.50 / Concession $24.50 /
Child $16.50 / Family $85

Schedule of times

Every day except Chistmas Day and ANZAC Day.
Departs Cultural Centre Pontoon10.00am
Arrive Lone Pine11.15am
Depart Lone Pine1.45pm
Arrive Cultural Centre Pontoon3.00pm

The Cruise Trip Takes around an Hour and 15 Minutes .. During the Cruise The Captain Rob Narrated some Stories about the Locations we passed by, The Old Names for the suburbs we crossed in the way to the Sanctuary, and also some Information about the River and its Surroundings. 

Rob welcomed us with Gift bags which James and King Ming Loved because of the Lollies and The coloring Book!!!
The Gift back contents we got 
Rob also allowed us to go around the Boat and look around specially in Captain's Room and he explained the different devices they have their .. 
Rob Explaining To King Ming and James about the devices
King Ming doing what he does Best "Photography"
Measuring The Depth of the river
The Temperature was around 19 in that morning 
The Boat MIRIMAR II has an on-board Catering which the Ambassadors took advantage of Both ways .. Also I have to Mention the MIRIMAR II has WIFI Connection ..

James and Ming Enjoyed a very Delicious Breakfast While Claire and Yiki had their Lunch in the way back .. 
James (Singapore) having his breakfast
Yiki in the middle of her Lunch
It was a lovely Journey on MIRIMAR II .. 
People Actually Live Here!!!
After Reaching our Destination, Rob Took us in a tour around The Sanctuary which was very nice of him .. 

but before that we met with Promode and the Others at the entrance .. 

Destination Reached!

Please Take Care of Our Animals and Plants
MIRIMAR II
Welcome Sign in Lone Pine
Claire and Yiki pointing to their home towns but Claire is not Tall enough to reach Beijing
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was established in 1927 with only 2 koalas; now with over 130 of these cuddly creatures as well as a variety of Aussie wildlife, it holds the Guinness World Record for the first and largest koala sanctuary in the World.
The First Animal We Met at the Sanctuary was The Koala!! Next in line was the Sulphur-crested cockatoo .. 

Paparazzi's

Guinness World Record for the Oldest Koala in Captivity 
Koala's Retirement Home 
Moving Forward we saw the EMU and The Kangaroos
Eve Feeding the Kangaroo

LIKE A BOSS!!
Yiki Feeding the Kangaroo
Zoie with the Kangaroo
Lily Feeding the EMU
Eve Happy to meet the EMU
After that It was time to go to Cuddle and Take Photos with The Koalas .. 
Me Taking photos with the Koala
Lily Posing with the Koala
The First Show we attended in the Sanctuary was The Bird of Prey Show .. 

The Show usually starts at 12:30 

The Birds involved in the Show are: 

1- Illuka the White-bellied sea-eagle
2- Omega the Wedge-tailed eagle
3- Woof Woof the Barking Owl
4-Elmo the Barking Owl
5- Milo and Smudgee - Barn Owls

6- Shannon and Lani - Barn Owls

Omega having a bite

Illuka Posing for Photos
It was interesting to see these Birds fly close to us and to know more about them and what they eat ..
after the show we went to meet Illuka and Omega and took some pictures with them ..

Illuka and Omega waiting
Me with Illuka and Omega ..
Eve wanted a photo with the superstars too 
The Next show was The Sheep Dog Show .. 
Jeff with the Dogs
The Dog Guiding the Sheep after getting Jeff's orders
Make sure you check out Lone Pine's Aussie sheep dog show, held 3 times a day, inside the Nature Kingdom.

See the amazing skills of the hardworking sheep dogs as they command the sheep around the paddock for their master, responding to finely tuned whistles, calls and hand signals.

The award-winning sheep dog handlers, Alan, Graeme & Geoff, perform the show with their loyal sheep dogs from the outback. Keep an eye out for the gorgeous Phoebe, the Australian kelpie used for yard work at Lone Pine.

Phoebe is a crowd favourite and is always ready for photo opportunities and cuddles!



James Taking photos of the Sheep


Directly after the Sheep Dog Show we went to See The Sheep Shearing Show ..
The Shearing Begins
Almost There ..
Shearing Done .. Time to grow some wool again!
after that it was time to go back to the Boat to head back to the City .. It was a fantastic Trip with Rob and MIRIMAR II Crew .. 
in the way back it was time to talk more to Rob and Take more photos around the Boat .. 
Zoie and Her mom Palwasha (Pakistan) on MIRIMAR II
Lily and her Huge iPhone
James Checking the photos he took
With Rob in the way Back
Thanks Rob for letting us do that 
Great Day and Great views around the River
Photo-shoot Session with Eve
It was an enjoyable Journey and it was Great to meet Zoie for the First time .. 

For More Information about the MIRIMAR Cruises and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary please Visit Their Websites .. 


MIRIMAR II Cruise:
Website: http://www.mirimar.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirimarCruises
Email: mirimar@bigpond.net.au
Phone: 0412 749 426

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary: