Symphonic Holidays
With Symphonic Holidays you will have the opportunity to play at an advanced level in an amateur orchestra while enjoying your holiday in relaxing and inviting places in Southern Europe. We combine the comforts of Mediterranean life with our essential mission: to bring together people who share a passion for music. Our daily rehearsals culminate in a concert performance at the end of the vacation. Read more...
Upcoming concerts 2024
Symphonic Holidays
Latest News
What the newspapers say
Elke Kamprad, a journalist and amateur violist from Freiburg / Germany, had joined us on the Symphonic Holiday in Cefalù October 2023. Her report on her experience was published on 3rd January 2024 in the German newspaper Badische Zeitung. Click here to read the article.
Confirmed
All Symphonic Holidays in 2024 have reached their minimum group size. For this reason, we are happy to confirm that all Symphonic Holidays in 2024 will be realized.
What we have played before
A new page has been added to this website: A history of what we have played before, mixed with testimonials from amateur players who had joined us on a Symphonic Holiday.
New logo
Since “Symphonic Holiday“ was introduced as the name for our musical vacations in 2017, it gained popularity and became synonymous for amateur musicians coming together from around the world and seriously making orchestral music. To simplify communication, it was decided to drop the logo “da capo orchestra & travel”, making “Symphonic Holidays” the name now also of the company.
New rental cellos
Traveling with a cello can be inconvenient and expensive. Cellists therefor often ask for a rental cello on a Symphonic Holiday. Two cellos were now purchased to meet this demand. Before, the cellos were rented ad hoc from various luthiers, which was always an exciting blind date. Now cellists can know beforehand on which cello they will be playing during their Symphonic Holiday. The cost for a rental cello is between 140,- € and 190,- € including a carbon bow and a light weight Bam cello case. If you are interested, please ask for a detailed description of the instruments.
Premio Buona Cucina
One orchestra, two chefs!
Symphonic Holidays essentially are music under the baton of a chef d’orchestre, but today our congratulations go to the chef de cuisine Daniela Funari with her family. During our stay in Santa Vittoria the Symphonic Holiday orchestra is pampered with the culinary delights created each day at their Ristorante Farfense, which was now awarded the prestigious Premio Buona Cucina of the Italian Touring Club for the "genuine cooking with a straight regional characteristic, in a cultivated and hospitable environment". Enjoy!
A magical place
A magical place
A new page has been added to this website, with additional background information on Bardou:
New Wilfer double bass for Symphonic Holidays
We can provide you with a cello or double bass, if you are unable to transport your own instrument. While, in the main, we rent these instruments, we have commissioned our own double bass which is now ready to be played by our musicians.
The picture shows Rudolf Wilfer, a luthier particularly renowned for his double basses, together with our new instrument in his workshop near Erlangen in Germany.
"It’s a good bass, well set up. I was surprised how well it responds" says Franziska from Freiburg who had been on Symphonic Holidays before and has now tested the new instrument.
upcoming
Symphonic Holidays
Cefalù 4th - 13th October 2024
David Curtis, conductor
Johannes Brahms, Tragic Overture
Julius Rietz, Konzertstück for Oboe and orchestra
Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 3
Cefalù 2nd - 11th May 2025
Cayenna Ponchione, conductor
Hande Küden, violin
Morfydd Owen, Nocturne
Jean Sibelius, Violin concerto
Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 4
Bardou 28th May - 8th June 2025
Cayenna Ponchione, conductor
Sélim Mazari, piano
Emilie Mayer, Overture No. 2
Robert Schumann, Piano concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 7
Bardou 9th - 20th July 2025
Rodrigo Bauzá, concertmaster and violin solo
Astor Piazzolla, Ouverture (arr. Bauzá)
Pablo de Sarasate, Zigeunerweisen
Camille Saint-Saëns, Introduction & Rondo capriccioso
Camille Saint-Saëns, Symphony No. 2
Cefalù 3rd - 12th October 2025
David Curtis, conductor
Béla Bartók, Concert for Orchestra
Amy Beach, Gaelic Symphony
Orvieto 17th - 26th October 2025
David Sofer, conductor
Felix Mendelssohn, Overture of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Luciano Berio / Franz Schubert, Rendering
Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring
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