For the first week of summer vacation, students typically look forward to relaxation and laziness. But for students in the Wind Symphony and the Ohio University Marching 110, their first week away from Athens will be quite different.
Members of the Marching 110 and the Wind Symphony will tour and play in Ireland and Italy from May 5 to May 13 in commemoration of the band program’s 90th anniversary.
Both bands will play for one day in each country. The group will spend three days in Ireland, with excursions available to Belfast, Waterford and Kilkenny. The last four days of the trip will be spent in Rome, with a day set for excursions to Tuscany, Florence and Pompeii and a free day to explore Rome.
Andrew Trachsel, director of bands and conductor of the Wind Symphony, said the bands would only be performing one day in each country so the students are not solely performing and are able to experience the countries.
Despite an extensive record of tours within the United States, neither the Wind Symphony nor the Marching 110 has traveled overseas before this trip.
Trachsel said he thinks the tour will not only be important for the students, but it will also extend the band’s reputation worldwide.
“It will broaden the students’ experience… they will be performing for a world audience,” he said. “It’s also a great opportunity to spread our brand of entertainment and music-making to another part of the world, live and in person.”
The trip was not required for all band members to attend, so students were responsible for raising the money required. The tour was open to family and friends as well, making the group total at 250 people, 190 of them being students.
Trachsel said the original plan was for the bands to perform in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin. However, the switch to semesters moved the typical time for Spring Break, meaning students would have had to miss an entire week of class in order to attend, an idea Trachsel said was not smart.
Even with the change in itinerary, band members said they are still very eager to go on the tour.
“I have a friend in Ireland, so I may see if he can show me around,” said Jim Blazey, a senior studying political science who plays the alto saxophone for the Marching 110. “Their whole culture is so different. Playing over there will be a very different experience. It’s going to be awesome.”
Barrett Lawlis, a junior studying journalism who plays alto saxophone for the Marching 110, said the trip would be educational and fun.
“I read ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels & Demons’ and am really excited to see all that stuff,” he said. “The crypts and tombs; it will be eye opening and fun. It’s history. Being able to see history is better than just reading about history.”
Trachsel echoed Lawlis’ excitement for the rich culture the group will experience during their trip, adding in that he hoped the trip would be something that can be continued in some capacity in future years.
“(In Italy) Everywhere you turn there is another amazing church you want to go in and see,” he said. “There are so many great museums… the art, the architecture, the fountains… the gelato.”
mg986611@ohiou.edu
