LUGO ORCHESTRAL COURSE 2025
Accommodation
NB Accommodation costs are not included in the course fee: you must book and pay for it separately.
Through our partner in Lugo, Matteo Penazzi, we have acquired special rates for bed and breakfast at three places in the town, the actual rates will be confirmed asap:
- Ala d’oro – a lovely hotel in an 18th century mansion in the centre of the town. 56 Via Giacomo Matteotti.
- Demora Deco – a lovingly restored Art Deco building in the centre of the town. 91 Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi.
- Hotel Tatì – a good quality and more modern hotel, towards the edge of Lugo, about a mile from the centre. 22/5 Via Provinciale Cotignola.
When you have signed up (i.e. paid the course fee) you will be sent details of how to contact the above properties to book your accommodation, along with a discount code. You are, of course, welcome to book your own accommodation should you prefer (there are, for example, a number of Air B&B properties).
Age/Standard
There is no specific minimum or maximum age. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. We have players of a variety of standards, including professional. As a guide, a standard of grade 6+ ABRSM is recommended, although experience is every bit as important, and it may vary from instrument to instrument – please enquire if you are not sure.
Climate
The average October temperature in Lugo is 15.3 degrees centigrade, with an average of 6.5 hours of sun per day.
Communication
We will ask you for your mobile phone number, so that we can create a group messaging system. This is really useful for getting information out to everyone quickly.
Concert
The concert venue in 2024 was:
Chiesa del Pio Suffragio, Via della Libertà 1
Concert dress code is all black. Men: no ties or jackets required; women: short or long dresses or trousers are all fine. The programme in 2024 was as follows:
Rossini: L’Italiana in Algeri
Mendelssohn Violin concerto (Roberto Noferini, soloist)
George Lloyd: Bells, Monks and Lutherans
Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A
For the wind and brass: some doubling, swapping, sitting out etc may be needed but this will be kept to a minimum.
Course Fee
Refer to the Cost page for details of the amount to pay. Please note that your place is not secured until you have paid the full course fee.
If you would like to come on both this course and the one in Sicily you will be given a £30 discount on the combined fees.
Customs
If you are bringing an instrument with you: does it contain a rare material that could be restricted? For example, a bow with some ivory. If possible it’s best to avoid these materials entirely, but if you can’t then take with you some sort of proof of purchase and ownership, and have a look at this webpage:
https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/working-overseas/travelling-with-a-musical-instrument/musical-instruments-made-of-rare-materials (it’s detailed, and written for professionals, but is still relevant).
It’s very unlikely that you would have a problem, but it’s not impossible …
Dates
The course dates are Sunday 26 October to Saturday 1 November, with the first event being a meeting with Matteo (the organiser from Lugo) at 16.00 on the Sunday, and the concert being on Friday 1 November in Lugo. This year there will be an excursion plus a final meal/event on the Saturday. It would be ideal if you arrive on the Saturday and leave the following Sunday. However, you are welcome to arrive earlier and to stay longer should you wish. It may be possible to arrive after 26 October – please enquire.
Excursions
There will be several events organised during the week.
- A welcome meal at a local restaurant
- A short meeting with mayor of Lugo followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of Lugo
- A final meal/event at a local venue
- A couple of other excursions (different to those of 2024), details to be confirmed.
The costs for the first three events plus one excursion are included in the course fee. There will be optional events which will cost extra. This is true for those playing in the orchestra and non-playing friends/relatives.
You are, of course, welcome to go on trips of your own. Lugo is well connected by train, and you can easily get to many interesting towns and cities, and the coast beyond Ravenna is also accessible.
If you are taking local buses or trains you will need to know where to buy tickets. Ask one of us during the course.
If you are going anywhere by train remember that you must validate your ticket in a special (green) machine before you board (or, if it’s an e-ticket, you have check-in online before travelling). You may be fined if you forget!
There is a Facebook group for the course, which you are welcome to join if you have signed up to come, or have been in a previous year:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/121043465193141
Food
On the first evening there is a ‘welcome meal’ in the local restaurant Ristorante Pizzeria Tati, 5 V.le Degli Orsini. The cost is included in the course fee. There will be a choice of food (with vegetarian options) plus water, coffee and wine (about one glass each). You will need to pay for any other drinks. The same costs apply to the final event/meal.
Aside from that (and breakfast, if included with your accommodation) you are responsible for finding your own meals. Please ask for recommendations.
Language
We usually have some Italians playing with us, so rehearsals will probably be in both English and Italian. It may be possible to accommodate German and French speakers – please enquire.
If you speak any Italian the locals will be delighted! Certainly not everyone will speak English but enough have a smattering to make standard interactions possible. There are always a few of the orchestra who speak passable (or better) Italian, so rope in their help as needed and you shouldn’t have any problems.
Large instruments
Players of large instruments are eligible for help with the cost of transporting their instrument. As an alternative, we may be able to hire an instrument for you in Italy, therefore avoiding the challenges involved in transportation. There would be a small hire charge. A limited number of such instruments will be available so please enquire early about this.
Lugo
Lugo is a town of about 30,000 inhabitants, so there are all the usual amenities (shops, cashpoints, post office, pharmacies, etc).
As a meeting place we will use Gingerino Caffè, 6 via Baracca. We may use this to meet up all together at some point, but this is also a good place you can meet up with people for coffee, snacks etc.
Mobility
If you have mobility problems please let us know. We would want to ensure, for example, that your accommodation is easily accessible to you.
Problems etc
For anything to do with trips please contact Norma.
For anything to do with the musical side of the week contact Peter.
You will be given their phone numbers in due course.
If you have an emergency, call 113 for the police, 115 for the fire brigade and 118 for a medical emergency. If you need help that is not quite that urgent then please contact Peter or Norma and we will try to sort things out for you.
Rehearsals
See the schedule below for details of the rehearsals.
The rehearsal venue in 2024 (which we hope to use this year also) was:
On foot: Church Hall, Piazza Savonarola 1
By car: Via Fratelli Cortesi 2/1
Please meet outside the Ala d’Oro hotel (56 Via Giacomo Matteotti) to walk to the rehearsal venue on Sunday at 17.15. If you’re not there we will assume you know the way!
One rehearsal will be sectionals (strings/wind).
Please note that you need to bring your own music stand, and a stand light is recommended.
Your music will be provided, although you are welcome to bring your own printed copies if you have markings which are useful for you. Details of the music to be played will be sent to you by the end of June, and the parts will be available to download/view here.
There may be a space where you can play chamber music and/or practise. It may be possible to arrange some chamber music coaching – please enquire.
Schedule
From 2024: as an example only
Sun: 16.00 Welcome at Ala d’Oro hotel (56 Via Giacomo Matteotti) / 17.15 meet at Ala d’Oro to walk to rehearsal venue (address above) / 17.30-19.00 rehearsal / 20.00 Welcome dinner (in Ristorante Pizzeria Tati, 5 V.le Degli Orsini)
Mon: 09.30-12.00 rehearsal / 14.45 meeting with mayor & guided tour of Lugo (Rossini museum included)
Tue: 09.30-12.00 rehearsal / 17.30-19.30 rehearsal
Wed: Morning excursion to Ravenna (c.3hr guided tour): meet at the station at 08.30 / 20.30 German Kulmbach youth choir concert (optional)
Thu: 09.30-12.00 rehearsal (with soloist at 10.30) / 16.30-18.30 rehearsal
Fri: visit to Bologna (optional) / 10.45-13.00 pasta workshop (optional) / 18.00 rehearsal, 20.30 concert in Lugo
Strings/reeds etc
We recommend that you bring your own spare strings/reeds etc, however there is a music shop ‘Back Corner Music Shop’, 68 Via Piratello, about a mile from the centre of Lugo. It’s more of a rock music shop, but it does at least have strings and clarinet reeds (other things can be ordered). Its phone number is +39 0545 010088, Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/backcornermusicshop/
Travel
NB You must book and pay for your own travel.
1. By air
- Most airlines offer flights a long way ahead.
- Please ensure you know what your airline’s restrictions are on carrying musical instruments. Many airlines now charge extra, for example, to carry something the size of a violin.
- Booking early is always the best money-saving option.
- You will be informed if there are other participants on the same flight as you.
Whilst it is quite possible to fly to Venice or Florence and go on to Lugo by train, Bologna airport is much closer. Currently British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair have direct flights from London, leaving from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted respectively. There are no other direct flights from the UK.
Here there is a list of other airlines which serve Bologna from other countries: Bologna Airport.
It is best to travel by train from Bologna airport to Lugo. The fastest way from the airport to the central station is via the Marconi Express monorail, which takes 7 minutes, then the trains from the central station to Lugo take about 40 minutes and are usually once per hour.
Flight examples (as of Dec 2024):
Saturday 25 October
London Stansted – Bologna: 13.05 – 16.10 OR 19.35 – 22.40 (Ryanair)
London Gatwick – Bologna: Easyjet, times not yet released
London Heathrow – Bologna: British Airways, times not yet released
Sunday 26 October
London Stansted – Bologna: 07.15 – 10.15 (Ryanair)
Sunday 2 November
Bologna – London Stansted: 10.40 – 12.05 (Ryanair)
Bologna – London Gatwick: EasyJet, times not yet released
Bologna – London Heathrow: British Airways, times not yet released
2. By train
I’ve travelled from London to Italy by train a good number of times – it’s wonderful and well worth it if you’re not in a hurry! You get to go through the Alps, which is a wonderful stretch of train track!
All the information you will need can be found here. To give an example of the current simplest route from the UK you firstly take the Eurostar to Paris, then a TGV to Basel or Geneva, then to Milan and finally to Bologna/Lugo. That is route 4 on the linked page. Example times can’t be given yet, but here are times from 2024 as examples:
Saturday 26 October
St Pancras – Paris Gare du Nord: 07.01 – 10.20
Paris Gare de Lyon – Basel: 12.22 – 15.26
Basel – Milan: 17.28 – 21.40
Stay overnight in Milan then:
Sunday 27 October
Milan – Bologna: 09.20 – 12.10
Bologna – Lugo: 13.05 – 13.46
NB There was a landslide in the Alps in August 2023 which means that there are no direct trains from Paris to Milan at present (as of Dec 2024). The line should be again in operation by March 2025, and if so, you can miss out the second stage of the journey mentioned above and go straight from Paris to Milan. That is route 1 or 2 on the linked page.
3. Arrival in Lugo by train
Coming out of Lugo station there are two exits: go up the stairs to the right if you’re ok to carry luggage up the stairs, if not then carry straight on and go up the ramp (then turn back on yourself to go back to the station entrance). The road you want for Hotel Ala d’Oro (Viale Rossini!) is directly opposite the station entrance, as in this picture. For Dimora Deco, go to the left from the station, to the roundabout and take the right-hand road, as in this picture. They are both roughly 10 minutes walk.