‘Gascoyne in May’ – an incredible tour traveling across the Gascoyne region of WA began on the 4th of May. Perth Symphony is so excited to be involved, sending a string quartet on the long and dusty road. PSO’s involvement in this tour was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Rowley Foundation.

Here’s what PSO Artistic Planning Assistant and touring cellist Nick Pitt had to say about the once in a life time experience so far:

“The tour departed Perth early Thursday morning via bus to Carnarvon. We were driven by Ray, a fellow touring artist who was also doubling as our cultural guide. Along the way, we were able to see the full spectrum of beautiful Australian countrysides – rolling hills, sparse scrub, red dirt. It was absolutely stunning.

Our first performance of the tour was a half hour performance to approximately 100 high school students. We selected a program designed to entertain a high school students – including Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance 5 and always a favourite – Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. The set list went down a treat!

Following the performance, the tour headed the river to perform a Welcome to Country Ceremony. We took part in a smoking ceremony, which involves a small fire and a stream of smoke to wash over ourselves to cleanse the surrounding land. The ceremony was performed on the sandy banks of the river which was absolutely breathtaking. What a way to start this 6 week adventure!”

We look forward to more news from Nick!