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Students' Trip 'Priceless'
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| By: Marcia Forrester, Staff Writer |
August 05, 2009 |
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These local Midwest Ambassadors of Music are pictured in the Swiss Alps and spent 16 days in Europe presenting band and choir concerts. In front left to right are Courtney Werner, Anthony Beck, Ramy Hagen, Kirsten Hastings, Katie Wegleitner, and Lexy Weber. Back row tour director Mike Likness, Sandy Hastings, band director Terry Beckler, Susan Beckler, Eric Oelkers, Michael Blegen, Carmen Allcock, Kelly Wieser, Cheryl Werner, and Kristen Cutler.
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Learning to exchange dollars for euros, pounds and francs, seeing the Mona Lisa, dancing with the Swiss and being awed by the architecture of cathedrals are just a few of the "unbelievable" experiences shared by the ten young people who were a part of the Midwest Ambassadors tour of Europe.
The Midwest Ambassadors tour Europe every other year. There are 38 groups throughout the United States. Students who participate need to be selected by a local music instructor. Every choir and band director throughout the state is asked to nominate their best students based on the following qualities-maturity, character, leadership, and musicianship. A student must be at least 15 years of age at the time of travel and no more than 21.
Traveling from Britton were Michael Blegen, Eric Oelkers, Anthony Beck, Ramy Hagen, Katie Wegleitner, Lexy Weber, Kirsten Hastings, Courtney Werner, Carmen Allcock and Kristen Cutler.
"It was a priceless trip," Kristen Cutler said. "It was a chance of a lifetime. It was very educational. We learned so much about the different cultures. Europeans dress up so much more than we do. Jeans, sweats and shorts are not worn over there. Girls are in dresses and wear heels and dress pants."
Carmen Allcock agreed with Cutler. "Every minute was exciting. I was in the choir and band so I performed for many concerts. It was so worthwhile. Just seeing the churches, cathedrals and Basilicas was fantastic," she said.
Approximately 10 per cent of all music students in South Dakota are nominated (this varies from school to school). The nomination includes a certificate of congratulations from the Governor recognizing each student's achievement.
Each student's nomination allows them to become eligible to participate in the Midwest Ambassador's concert tour of Western Europe. The entire cost of this tour is the responsibility of each student. The tour includes 3 to 4 days of pre-tour camp on the SDSU campus and 16 days of travel in Europe.
Michael Likness is the Tour and Music director of the South Dakota (Midwest) Ambassadors and has been involved with the tour since 1995. The Midwest group was the largest group in the United States this year with 405 Ambassadors participating. This group consisted of a 189 piece concert band and a 170 voice choir. It included 44 staff members, 47 adult non-performers, and 314 performing students.
The tour included concerts in London, Paris, Switzerland, Venice, Austria, and Germany. Thousands of people attended these concerts and the students did a superb job of representing our state and region as musical Ambassadors according to Likness.
In London, students presented at John Wesley Chapel and at Victoria Embankment Gardens. Luxemburg Gardens and the St. Severin Church were their two Paris engagements. In Crans-Montana, Switzerland, the Centre Sportif was their concert spot. In Seefeld, Austria, St. Oswald's Church and the Seefeld Pavilion had hundreds of people in attendance. The last two concerts were in Rothenburg, Germany and were performed at the Marketplatz and the Franzishanerkirche.
"We spent three days in London," Kirsten Hastings said. "We went to the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, walked around the streets and presented our first concert by the River Thames at Wesley's Chapel. The next day we drove to Dover and took a ferry across the English Channel to France."
Katie Wegleitner had quite an experience in London. "I was walking in downtown London and a huge crowd of people came running towards me. Immediately, many policemen were surrounding a car on the street. Johnny Depp stepped out. Everybody screamed and waved!"
Three days in France were packed with a tour of the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg Gardens, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and two concerts.
"Our three days in Switzerland were my favorite," Courtney Werner said. "I loved the mountains and people were so friendly. We toured the Castle of Chillon in Crans-Montana, went to Zermatt and saw the Matterhorn, ate in Liechtenstein and performed a concert in Crans-Montana.
"At our concert, people had signs greeting us, waved flags and stood up and clapped when we sang. They taught us dances and we had a cheese fondue party with them."
Lexy Weber echoed Werner's words. "The view outside of our window of the Swiss Alps was panoramic. It was a beautiful country."
Two days in Austria found musicians visiting Seefeld, performing two concerts and spending a day in Innsbruck.
"The breakfasts in Austria were great and the country was beautiful," Hastings said. "We had eggs, bacon, breads, yogurt, fresh fruit, cheeses and a dessert. The food was unbelievable."
Eric Oelkers agreed with Hastings on the food. "The food was amazing everywhere," he said. "I can only encourage music students to go. It was a fantastic time."
A one day trip to Venice had students visiting St. Mark's Cathedral where the disciple Mark is buried. "The city is built on the Adriatic Sea where the city is sinking and the water rising," Weber said.
The next three days were in Germany. Students went through Dachau, a concentration camp during World War II and ended up in Rothenburg and performed two concerts.
Anthony Beck plans to return to Germany. "We have relatives there, but I didn't have time to contact them. Some of my relatives came over here for my parents' wedding and I would like to visit with them. It was an awesome trip and I plan to return to Paris and some day ski in Switzerland. I'm so glad I went," he said.
Michael Blegen, whose favorite city was London because it was so big and had so many people, said, "We had a large crowd for our last performance in Germany. It was one of our best, but we were sad because it was our last."
Ramy Hagen marveled over the Franziskanerkirche, a 900 year old church. "The city of Rothenburg was built in medieval times," she said. "We could run around on top of the walls because it had a fortress around it."
Local staff members included Michael Likness-tour director, Kelly Wieser-staff member, Sandy Hastings-staff member, Susan Beckler-staff member and Dr. Terry Beckler-band director. Hastings and Wieser were two of the featured piccolo players on Stars and Stripes Forever.
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©Marshall County Journal 2010
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