2026 Tour Day 9: Sydney Opera House Concert
Hello! I’m Audrey and I am a second violinist!
Today was a big day, a day we have all been looking forward to for over a year. The day we play at THE Sydney Opera House.
We started the day by waking up bright and early so we could board buses at 7:30. Once we got to the hall, we went through the process of getting our security badges and getting inside.
Then we unpacked and went onstage for rehearsal! Walking onto the Opera House stage for the first time was unreal. We were all taking it all in for a long time.
After an incredible rehearsal, in a hall with AMAZING acoustics (we all collectively gasped at the ring of the last note of Montagues and Capulets), we went out to the steps to take a big group picture. It took a while to arrange everyone so we were all visible. After the group picture, everyone started taking their own pictures. We got section pictures, friend group pictures, and pictures with Maestro.
After pictures, we went back inside for lunch! After lunch, we went up into the choir seats to watch the Spokane Youth Orchestra from Washington perform, who were amazing. After Spokane, we got ready to play ourselves. We got onstage, and we watched and listened to the tribute to the Australian veterans, after which it was our turn!
We played an incredible concert, starting with Die Meistersinger, Romeo and Juliet in the middle, and ending with our encore, Hoedown by Copeland.
Actually playing the concert is a blur, but that feeling of hearing the thunderous applause at the end of the concert is like no other. Seeing the audience stand up, and knowing my family was there in the audience, cheering me on in not only my final GTCYS concert but my final concert of high school, there are no words to describe it. Knowing I was up there with my amazing friends, both old and new, sharing this moment with my fellow seniors, it was truly an incredible feeling I will never forget.
After the concert, we headed back to the hotel for a delightful dinner. After dinner we had free time till bed checks. Me and my friends headed back to one of our rooms for some hang out time, others went out for ice cream or other treats.
We all went to bed full of gratitude and in awe of the concert we’d played and the venue we played at.
New student blogs are posted every day! See what we’ve shared so far.
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Learn more about GTCYS’ 2026 tour to New Zealand and Australia.