John Emanuelson, orchestra teacher, and the symphony orchestra traveled overseas to Bavaria, Germany from March 22 to April 1.
The trip was originally supposed to take place during the spring break of 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trip was canceled and rescheduled to happen during the 2024 spring break. Consequently, a different group of students got to participate on this tour, influencing the music that Emanuelson chose for them to play.
“I like to do pieces of music that showcase specifically the talents of our orchestra members,” Emanuelson said.
Emanuelson also thought it would be beneficial for the students to have fewer concerts and be able to fully immerse in and experience the Bavarian lifestyle.
“I also try to provide some cultural experiences that relate to the orchestra curriculum as well. We are playing the Barber of Seville Overture and lucky us it happens to be being performed there in Munich so we are going to see the opera from which the overture was taken. I also try to make sure to do things that are just fun and have nothing to do with music like going to the tallest mountain in Germany or something that is not fun but important like the Dachau memorial just outside of Munich,” Emanuelson said.
From a tour participant standpoint, Maddie Gehl, junior, enjoyed having the free-time to enjoy the Bavarian culture that Emnauelson and the other tour coordinators provided.
“The most memorable trip was probably seeing and going to the top of the mountain,” Gehl said.
Along with exploring the Bavarian Alps, tour participants explored Bavarian cities such as Munich, Nürnberg and Rothenbug, allowing them to see many historical and culturally rich sites along the way. Like Gehl, Tatjana Salud, sophomoret, also loved having the free-time to learn about Bavarian culture.
“Seeing different cultures and styles of living as well as how people are there was pretty cool,” Salud said.
