- Andrea Salomo, an oboe player from Silversands, participated in World Orchestra Week in New York with the Africa United Youth Orchestra.
- She described the experience of performing at Carnegie Hall as overwhelming and unforgettable, despite challenges with her instrument.
- The event included performances from orchestras worldwide and was a significant milestone in her musical career.
An oboe player from Silversands who recently came from New York where she participated at the World Orchestra Week says it was one of the best musical adventures.
Andrea Salomo says playing with the best young musicians in the world was an experience she will never forget.
“There were orchestras from Beijing, Europe, Venezuela, America and even Afghanistan. I was part of the Africa United Youth Orchestra. Everything that happened is still overwhelming,” says Salomo.
According to Salomo it was fun but also hard work.
“Imagine getting 60 musicians from all over Africa to play to together. Playing together for the first time is very daunting because some of the other musicians never played in an orchestra before.
“Our first concert was in Pretoria before we left and former president Thabo Mbeki graced us with his presence. In the first half we played South African works and in the second we played other works.
Carnegie Hall
“The conductor reminded us that there are 2 900 seats in Carnegie Hall that we need to fill as an orchestra. I struggled with dryness of the reeds,” says Andrea.
She says she will never be able to digest what happened at Carnegie Hall.
“While I am talking about it I keep smiling because I think about the compliments I received for my playing. As a wind instrument player I had to adjust from the dry climate to a wetter climate. My instrument also started giving me problems. I prayed and I said ‘God, I don’t have this, but You have this, please help me to calm down so that I can give the best performance of my life.’ Imagine playing at the Carnegie Hall, a place you don’t easily get access to. Every musician wants to perform on this stage and here I am. I played my heart out. I wish I could listen to a recording of how I played. It was the most amazing performance of my life,” she says.
Andrea and her fellow musicians also had time for site seeing, but she didn’t make it to the statue of liberty.
“Next time,” she says.
