On Friday, July 3, High Voltage Performing Arts travelled to west Germany for our first international music tour.
The trip did not get off to the best start following a tyre blowout on our coach before we even reached Dover, but spirits remained high as we travelled to the town of Witten.
Witten has been twinned with Barking and Dagenham since 1979, promoting cultural, educational, and community exchanges between residents, schools, and organisations.
The highlight of the weekend was being invited to take part in the Rathaus-Fest (Town Hall Festival), where our Big Band entertained a large and enthusiastic crowd with a variety of music and songs for over two hours.
Our set list included Daydream Believer, Mamma Mia, Parklife, Mr Blue Sky, Angels, Man I Need, and culminated in I’ve had the Time of Life, which epitomised the spirit of the whole weekend.
High Voltage were delighted to be joined by the Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, Councillor Manzoor Hussain, the Deputy Leader, Councillor Saima Ashraf, and our coach driver, Councillor Sabbir Zamee.
The Mayor of Witten, Dirk Leister, thanked the band for taking part in the festival and on behalf of local residents who had enjoyed singing, swaying from their chairs, and dancing during our performances on the big stage on Saturday.
The weekend was a great success and a perfect example of how we can come together as a community in Barking and Dagenham with our friends in Witten, Germany, and connect through the power of music.
After our performances on the big stage, High Voltage members were treated to an awesome party in the Town Square with other community groups from across Europe, which ended in a silent disco with our members dancing and singing with our new friends.
The weekend was fun and enjoyed by all our members, and High Voltage Performing Arts were delighted to take part as representatives from Barking and Dagenham.
Following on from our performances, the town of Witten have already invited us to return and take part in future festivals.
So, we woke up exhausted on Sunday and looked forward to returning to Barking and Dagenham with a stop of in Brugges in Belgium before sailing on our ferry out of Dunkirk in France back to Dover, England.
For more information on High Voltage Performing Arts, visit our website: hvpa.org.uk.
If you'd like to join High Voltage, we're currently recruiting brass, woodwind and percussion players, as well as singers.
Join us for our open rehearsals on Mondays from 8pm to 10pm at the Ripple Centre, Ripple Road, Barking, or contact info@hvpa.org.uk for more information.
- Keith Smith is development officer at High Voltage Performing Arts (hvpa.org.uk).
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