By Alycia Timm | Echo
While many headed to the ocean for spring break, the Taylor Symphony Orchestra flew across it, arriving in Ireland on the morning of March 25.
The trip itself wasn't easy for the group of 31 Taylor students and chaperones. Flights were delayed, and the team ended up splitting into three flights headed different directions. All reunited in Dublin on Tuesday to continue the trip with only a day of sightseeing lost.
The first day, the team visited Malahide Castle before continuing to their hotel in Waterford in southern Ireland. On Wednesday the team performed in a community with a strong focus on special needs called Ballytobin Camphill Community. They played a concert for special needs children, their caretakers and families in the community.
"I was struck by how much people everywhere love music. Whether we were playing in an airport, at a university or at a home for people with special needs, our audience loved our performances," said junior Claire Spychalla.
Returning to sightseeing, they toured the town of Kilkenny and also explored Hook Lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse in the world.
Thursday the group performed at University College Cork and continued to the town of Greystones, stopping by Blarney Castle to kiss the legendary stone. In Greystones they met up with other Taylor students spending the semester studying abroad.
On Friday the orchestra played a shared concert with the Greystone Symphony Orchestra at Oatlands College. The benefit concert was performed on "Daffodil Day," a day devoted to raising money for the Friends of St. Luke's. The organization supports families of cancer patients. All through the streets, daffodils and other items were being sold to raise support. The concert ended up raising more than 5,000 euros for the cause.
The whole experience brought the orchestra closer as a team.
"When you get a bunch of sleep-deprived people together for that amount of time, you get so close and so open with each other," said freshman Hannah Rathbun.
Junior Joelle Reiskytl agreed.
"Being able to play, travel and live with each other brought us together in a way that is otherwise impossible," she said. "You don't get to build many relationships in orchestra because you're only playing in rehearsal, but this tour gave us a chance to really get to know each other."
The group had one more performance on Saturday before getting on the plane to return to Taylor, this time avoiding the flight troubles. The tired students all arrived at Taylor late Sunday night, jet lagged and with countless new memories.Thumbnail photograph courtesy of Brent Gerig.
