On 6 March 2023, The Sleepy Lagoon Orchestra, one of the University of Chichester’s many musical ensembles, was invited to perform in the Assembly Room at the twinning ceremony between Chichester and Speyer. Following a version of the Prelude to Charpentier’s Te Deum, the orchestra provided music throughout the evening, including Sussex By The Sea. However, it was not long before they reverted to their usual repertoire of 1930s swing, and by the end of the evening the orchestra had secured an invitation to visit Speyer the following summer.
Fast forward to 18 June when the orchestra and vocalists departed from the university for foreign shores, surviving border control and a torrential thunderstorm. The journey to Speyer took about eight hours but eventually the orchestra and accompanying van arrived at the hotel. On the following morning we awoke to blue skies which, much to our relief (as we were due to play outside), heralded a beautiful, warm day. The walk from the hotel took us to the centre of the city, and we were treated to our first view of the Cathedral.
Our performances were in a square just off the main street so, once we had set up our equipment and done a sound check, we were free to explore the city sights after indulging in a splendid lunch provided by our hosts. The afternoon concert was well attended by an appreciative audience who were entertained by a range of music from our standard swing to some more modern big band music. To our pleasant surprise, the evening performance was once again attended by a huge crowd who were packed into the square behind the town hall. They were treated to an evening of music, including swing once again and a selection of music from the James Bond film franchise.
With our performance over, the next stop was a local hostelry where we managed to replace the liquid lost through our exertion while playing in the heat. (I suspect this may have happened if it had been a lot cooler too.)
Simon Growcott
Orchestral Manager
University of Chichester