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Amazing. That is all I can say about this entire experience. Everything seemed to fall into place when we pulled up in front of the building, unloaded the bus and saw our names in print on a poster out front.

We sounded incredible and gave probably one of our best performances ever. After hearing the first chords echoing through the hall, I knew it was going to be fantastic.  The crowd gave us a standing ovation immediately after our final piece-”Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.” Dr. Baker’s solos were gorgeous and, without a doubt, a crowd favorite. I think we all had more fun playing “Journey to the Center of the Earth” tonight than ever.  And of course, “World Projects Fanfare” by Matt Hightower was fabulous. The piece was actually written for the occasion for the World Projects group (the organization that helped make this trip possible). Tonight we presented the CEO with a copy of the cover of the score to commemorate the event. 

I think the familiar faces I saw in the crowd made the concert mean a lot, also. President Dunn and his wife, Ronda, Provost Gary Brockway, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jim Carter, Chair of the Board of Regents Alan Stout and Regent Vickie Travis, Dr. Park and Dr. Garfield as well as numerous other officials and professors were in attendance. Their support and encouragement mean so much and we are so thankful for their presence.

But this all wouldn’t be possible without our conductor, Mr. Dennis Johnson. He did so much work planning and organizing the trip, picking the music and putting up with us in rehearsal every day. His support and guidance have meant so much to all of us. I know that we have learned and grown from this experience, and that is largely due to him. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication.

Thank you also to Mr. Fannin for coming on the trip with us, making sure we got to where we needed to be at the right time, putting up with all of us on a 4 a.m. bus ride and holding on to our plane tickets so we wouldn’t lose them. Thank you to the World Projects organization for everything they did to get us here and make the entire experience enjoyable. They did everything from help us with baggage at the airport, to help us get equipment together for rehearsal. And also, thank you to Matt Hightower for letting me use his computer to blog!

I will write more tomorrow–and (hopefully) include pictures!

~Emily