Choir O-Ton: First rehearsal weekend in Gemünd

In June, the Choir original sound from Geilenkirchen for a rehearsal weekend in the Gemünd Vogelsang Youth Hostel as a guest. The amateur singers have been active since 2012, but it was only recently that they came up with the idea of organising a rehearsal weekend to improve individual pieces.

„We were looking for accommodation that didn't require such a long journey, was geared towards the needs of choirs and was located in beautiful surroundings,“ says Regina Schadt. She is a founding member of the choir and organised the rehearsal weekend. After some initial research, the choice quickly fell on the Gemünd Vogelsang youth hostel, which is one of the most popular rehearsal centres in Germany. 13 music youth hostels in the Rhineland heard. Even the first contact with reception was very positive, continues Regina Schadt.

So in June of this year, they travelled to the youth hostel for a weekend. „We immediately felt at home. The building is modern and radiates cheerfulness with its many bright colours,“ says Regina Schadt. „We were given a very friendly welcome and helped with all our requests without any red tape. We found a large rehearsal room with a perfectly tuned piano, which was available to us for the whole weekend. We were able to enjoy the wonderful natural surroundings during the breaks. One singer said that the only thing missing was the hot tub,“ she says with a smile. The O-Ton choir is already planning the next rehearsal weekend for next year, which will also take place at the Gemünd Vogelsang youth hostel.

A paradise for musicians and singers

Hostel manager Jascha Rasky is delighted with every music group that stays at the youth hostel and says: „Choirs and orchestras in particular feel very much at home here. In the meantime, my team and I have gained a lot of experience in organising small and large rehearsal stays. We know what is important. That's why everyone who has stayed with us once is happy to come back.“

The seven bright rehearsal rooms, for example, offer the best conditions for professional rehearsals, where you can make music to your heart's content. They are arranged in the building in such a way that music-making groups do not disturb each other. The smallest room is 42 square metres in size and the largest covers 152 square metres, has its own roof terrace, a corridor and even a kitchenette. It offers space for up to 240 people. Two pianos on castors and an electric piano are also available.

Most of the music groups come to the youth hostel at the weekends, reports Jascha Rasky. Then he and his team particularly look forward to the end of the rehearsals: „At the end of the rehearsal time together, some choirs give a final concert in the dining room or in the stairwell, which has particularly good acoustics.“

EXCLUSIVE Youth Hostel

The „EXCLUSIVE Youth Hostel“ offer is particularly interesting for school music groups and is also suitable for inter-year music trips. A big advantage: you can rehearse as early, as long and as loud as necessary without being disturbed by other guests. All rooms are freely available for this purpose. This means that the large tutti rehearsal can take place at the same time as the individual rehearsals.