Vikings on the Road: Orchestra Sojourns to Washington D.C.

Jones PitskerStaff Writer Samo’s Symphony Orchestra sits inside the cool marble-covered interior of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, flanked by swooping marble. After their conductor gives them the downbeat, the room fills with the tense opening of Brahms’ First Symphony. After Symphony’s group of 91 students finish the 45 minute piece, they are shuttled off to the next venue in their whirlwind trip to the east coast, where they visited Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.Symphony director Joni Swenson said planning the trip for such a large group of students was something of a nightmare because of the number activities to plan.“We had a really hard time getting all the details figured out, even with all the work we put in,” Swenson said. “If you look at the schedule from even a week before we left, it’s completely different than the schedule when we finally boarded the plane.”The trip was packed full of musical activities, so many that Swenson said the average day was jam-packed with rehearsals and performances with hardly any breaks in between.According to Swenson, a typical day during the D.C. trip began of students rehearsing with the Baltimore Symphony at the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion after breakfast and a two-hour bus ride. At noon, they ventured to the Garret-Jacobs museum, took a tour of the Peabody School of Music and John Hopkins University, rehearsed for an hour, then had a full-orchestra clinic with the artistic director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. The students finally spent their well-deserved downtime on the Inner Harbor.”Swenson said Symphony members enjoyed the trip, despite the tightly-packed schedule. Sophomore oboist Ryan Roberts thinks the trip was a great opportunity for members of Symphony.“I enjoyed the trip and I also feel like I learned more about music from it,” Roberts said. “We got to meet and listen to a lot of great musicians. I think the trip made students realize how much fun playing music can be, and will maybe inspire some to play professionally.”Roberts said that the trip provided opportunities that could only be found while traveling as an orchestra. One example was a special viewing of the multi-million dollar Stradivarius string instruments in the Library of Congress,“One of the most interesting parts was when we went to the Library of Congress and they showed us the Stradivarius instruments as well as original American sheet music,” Roberts said. “Besides the interesting architecture, we were able to see the original copies of ‘The Star Spangled Banner,’ something we would never have seen anywhere else.”Swenson’s enthusiasm about the trip was obvious when she described the many opportunities Symphony members had.“People usually think of D.C. as not having many musical activities,” Swenson said. “But one thing we could do in D.C. and not anywhere else was perform with “The President’s Own” United States Marine String Quartet, which was pretty amazing. The whole trip was incredibly interesting and fun, providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for students.”Swenson said that the trip was costly, at an approximate $1,700 per student. However, scholarships were made available to students who needed them.“We’ve fundraised the entire year so that every student can go, even if they can’t afford to pay full price,” Swenson said. “We also got a grant from the City of Santa Monica for $15,000 and were able to give full scholarships to students who needed them, and we’re proud to say that we did not leave a single student behind because of financial reasons.”Swenson was most enthusiastic about a clinic held by violinist Joshua Bell with the orchestra on the fifth day of the trip.“[Bell] was able to work with our students and gave them insight into what it is like to be a professional musician,” Swenson said. “These were the kinds of opportunities that helped students see that they could become professional musicians if they really want to.”Swenson notes the unique aspects of the trip.“Being able to see the original manuscripts of famous composers is really amazing as well as being able to rehearse with great musicians,” Swenson said. “We want to continue to give students these great opportunities through our trips.”It’s obvious to Roberts, however, which part of the tour was the best.“The coolest part of the trip was when they showed us Gershwin’s own piano in the Library of Congress,” Roberts said. “Seeing it in person blew my mind and the thought of him playing and composing on that exact piano was insane. I could almost feel connected to him and could imagine him composing there, an opportunity I doubt I could have had without the trip.”jpitsker@thesamohi.com