Students selected for tour
Special to the Gazette
Friday, December 12, 2008
A group of area high school students has been selected for the 2009 Kansas Ambassadors of Music European Tour. The students were selected on their musicianship and character and will join in song with 300 of the best musicians in the state to make a top quality band, orchestra and choir. This tour is a biannual event and is in its 39th year.
The 16-day musical adventure will visit a variety of fascinating cities and villages in seven European countries.
The group is looking for local sponsorships to help with cost. The students are available to talk to local community organizations and share their musical talent.
“This is a very special once-in-a-lifetime adventure” stated Christine Simons, the Emporia area’s Kansas Ambassador’s staff member. “The trip is very well organized, safe and educational. We stay at luxury hotels and security is top rate. The student to staff ratio is about one to eight and students are always with a staff member.”
The students start out in London for three days and perform in historic Wesley Chapel and in the English garden by the Thames, the Victoria Embankment. They visit St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby and see Big Ben and the London Eye.
Then they take a ferry ride across the English Channel with the White Cliffs of Dover as a backdrop and travel to Paris. Here they visit Notre Dame Cathedral and enjoy a boat ride on the historic River Seine. After taking in the famous Eiffel Tower and performing for Parisians, they visit Montmarte, Sacré Core and, of course, the famous Louvre art museum.
After the three busy days in Paris, the group goes to Switzerland. Here they take in the breathtaking Alps including the Matterhorn. Later, they travel along Lake Geneva to the Castle of Chillon where Lord Byron wrote his memorable poem about being a prisoner there. The group performs at a Pavillion for the very appreciative Swiss audience. Three days later, it is on to a walking tour of (one of) the world’s most famous cities — Venice.
In Germany the group visits the Dachau concentration camp for a history lesson that will change their lives. Then it is back further in time to the medieval German walled village of Rothenburg. This historic village still has a night watchman, cobblestone streets and a wall built to protect the villagers.
For more information, contact the students or Christine Simons at William Allen White Elementary School.