The Small Hall Band

Traditional Music from Scotland and Ireland played by the best young musicians of the Scottish Borders.

Home
Hexham
Vif Trip

Bonjour Vif

Report written by Emma and Christina July 6th, 2001

Thursday 28^th June It was a long way to Dover but we had a few stops on the way. We boarded the ferry at 4.00 am. It didn't take long to cross the channel but most of us fell asleep so the time passed quickly. The journey down to Vif from Calais was a long one.		Friday 29th June We arrived there at about 8.30 pm. We had a little snack. Then the people staying with a host family went to their home and the campers were taken to the convent (!) where they were staying for one night.
Saturday 30th June Kelso Pipe Band played to a bemused but encouraging audience outside (and inside) the Casino supermarket in Vif.
After that we returned to the coaches and set off to a place called Vizille where we performed in the park by the rose garden of the chateau (where the French Revolution started) and enjoyed a superb picnic lunch.	The younger members of the Vif Music school played first under a shady tree. Then our pipers marched everyone up to the big outdoor stage where the Vif L'Harmonie group played.	The Small Hall Band followed this with a lively concert of jigs, reels and slow airs, together with the first outdoor performance of the Papa Stour Swords (dance!).
Sunday 1st July On Sunday both bands played in the streets of Vif. We also played in the garden of the Hotel de la Paix and had a fabulous buffet lunch there.	Smaller groups from the Small Hall Band played again in and around the streets of Vif in the afternoon.	We also played a huge ceilidh in the evening in the Salle Polyvalent (Sports Hall) which gave a lot of pleasure to all 400 people who took part.
Monday 2nd July In the afternoon we visited the Caves de Chartreuse, a famous distillery in the town of Voiron, where they make strong liqueur. During this tour we learnt how it was made and the ingredients used in the process...and tasted some.	Try the Chartreuse quiz at www.chartreuse.fr	In the evening there was a huge meal and party for everyone. We had a great time even if the quails didn't appeal to everyone !
Tuesday 3rd July Our first visit to Grenoble. We performed a concert outside the university at midday and afterwards the university provided us with a delicious buffet lunch.	During the first part of the afternoon we went up a mountain in a bubble car where you could see almost the whole of Grenoble if you looked out the glass. (It was very, very high and very hot).	Afterwards we were given the chance to have a wee look around Grenoble, but we had to return to Vif in time for 5.00 to attend an excellent accordion concert in the Music School.
Wednesday 4th July On Wednesday we enjoyed a boat trip on the lake of Monteynard and our first swim in the lake. In the afternoon we went to visit a Dam and the view was breathtaking.		At 6pm we played a concert outside the 'Mairie' in the village of Avignonet. Despite the threatening clouds the rain stayed off !
Thursday 5th July Finally on Thursday evening at 6.00pm, there was a grand final concert in front of the Vif Town Hall.	All three musical groups including the Pipe Band, the Small Hall Band and the French Band from Vif played together at the end with a moving rendering of Highland Cathedral (arranged by the late Bill Sharp)	Presentations and speeches were made and gifts were exchanged.

The generosity of the local council, the Association Musicale du Vif, and our French hosts was fantastic. We would like to thank all the organisers of the trip, especially Neil Horne, Emile Vacher and Philippe Margue, as well as Graeme Donald of Scottish Borders Council for helping to make this musical event possible.

If you have some digital photos which have better clarity than the selection above please e-mail to lizmarroni@argonet.co.uk