The International Music Festival is one of seven international events on the Globeducate Calendar, that happens in January.
This year International Music Festival was at Agora Sant Cugat International School in Barcelona, Spain. More than 200 students from 10 to 17 years of age from 23 Globeducate schools from around the world, together with their talented teachers joined this Festival. On the 2nd of February, 200 students from 23 Globeducate schools gathered at the Teatre-Auditori de Sant Cugat to create a stunning symphony and choral orchestra. In this year's festival our musical repertoire was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Several were played on the Festival. The proceeds of this event went the Tamaisan Project of the Emalaikat Foundation, which aims to build a school in the Turkana region of Kenya.
These days were filled with joy and excitement and all our students and teachers were delighted to embark on a collective journey of discovery and growth.
The teachers who accompanied the students also found it an unbelievable experience, Sophie Pryde, said,
"The two students selected from the Almancil campus to participate in music festival were Elizabeth Short (Year 7) and Oliver Nolan (Year 6). We joined Mr. Feliz and the six students from Lagoa for the journey across to Spain. The trip from The Algarve to Seville began with an early start, as we all had a 3 am wake-up call to catch the bus. Despite the early hour, there was a nervous energy among us as we chatted on the bus, excited for the trip ahead. We stopped at Starbucks for breakfast at the airport while waiting to board our flight to Barcelona, where we were greeted with beautiful views on a clear day.
Upon landing in Barcelona, we met students from various parts of the world, including Italy, London, and Canada, who were also participating in the event. Despite the lack of rest from the early morning, everyone's spirits were high. We then arrived at the vast campus of Sant Cugat International School and immediately got involved in a welcome task to analyse the songs we would be performing, all of which were linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Once the task was completed, host families greeted the students and took them to their homes for the next few days. The students enjoyed sightseeing and an early night to prepare for a day of rehearsals the next day. Wednesday morning brought rehearsals at the auditorium at Sant Cugat, where the students joined a 250-person choir and orchestra for the first time. The rehearsals continued in sections, with the Nobel students singing as part of the choir. By the end of the intense two days of rehearsals, there was significant progress in the music-making, and there was a buzz of excitement from being part of something magical.
The host families continued to make the children feel welcome, creating fun experiences for them. The joy of meeting up with the host students at the end of each day was evident, with smiles all around.
Finally, the main event arrived—the concert was incredible. It was live-streamed into classrooms, inspiring the children back at school and making us proud to be part of such a fantastic event. It was an unforgettable experience for me, and I'm sure the students who participated will be on cloud nine for a long time to come!"
Oliver Nolan, from Nobel Algarve Almancil said,
"It was wonderful to visit another school and perform in a fantastic auditorium. The host families were really great and I made some nice new friends"
You can relive the student's performance on Globeducate Youtube account.