The Andrews University Symphony Orchestra (AUSO) recently returned from its week-long tour to California, from April 11 to 19, bringing back smiles and excitement about the memories they made. The group, consisting of 53 students and seven faculty members, according to director Marc Élysée, performed a total of seven concerts, in addition to a workshop at Disney Studios and a side-by-side collaboration with the San Bernardino Youth Orchestra during their time in California.
After a long day of travel, the group performed their first concert on Thursday, March 12, at California State University. They were conducted by Lucy Lewis, an Andrews University alumna from the class of 2006, forming connections between the past and the present of Andrews University’s music department.
The next day, the AUSO performed for both Glendale and Orangewood academies, playing a selection of popular tunes in the morning and a vespers concert of sacred music during the evening. Élysée seemed pleased that the schools “were extremely welcoming and very, very happy to receive us.”
Though the goal of the trip was not recruitment, the opportunities to play at Adventist academies allowed the AUSO to share their skills with a broader audience, including potential Andrews students. “The most important goal was really to set the record straight as to what is currently happening at Andrews,” said Élysée.
On Sabbath, they performed a total of four concerts– two at the Loma Linda Korean SDA church, one at Loma Linda Filipino SDA, and one at Loma Linda Indonesian SDA, blessing many congregations with their music.
Tuesday was a highlight for many members of the orchestra, as the students were able to explore Disney’s California Adventure Resort and participate in a Soundtrack Recording Workshop at the Disney Imagination Campus. The orchestra was given sheet music for several popular Disney songs, and after a few minutes of rehearsal, recorded the music with a click-track. Then, their own recording was layered on top of the actual scenes from the Disney movies, creating a soundtrack unique to the AUSO.
Violinist Joseph Piresson stated that this Disney recording workshop was one of his favorite experiences from the trip. “Being able to play Disney music in a professional recording studio setting and then hear our orchestra play behind a clip of a Disney movie was just surreal.”
The group performed one final concert at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California. Élysée stated, “The highlight for me was the concert in the cathedral…it has nearly perfect acoustics…and to be able to play some of our classical pieces there was really fulfilling.”
When they weren’t performing, the musicians found other activities to fill their time. One day, a group of students woke up at 4:30 a.m. and drove to Joshua Tree National Park to see the sunrise. Violinist Cheyenne Newland said that this was the beginning of several other adventures that the students embarked on. “We went to Balboa Beach at sunset and saw some of the most beautiful displays of nature I have ever seen.” Newland explained that this California tour was “unexpectedly one of my most memorable life experiences.”
The members of the AUSO arrived safely and had a few days remaining of spring break to catch up on sleep after a busy week of performances. Violinist Hayley Rawls summed up her experience saying, “It was quite lovely getting the opportunity to further connect with other members of the orchestra!”
The orchestra does not currently have plans for its next tour, but Élysée expressed that he hopes to see these kinds of trips and experiences continue for the orchestral musicians at Andrews University. For now, the AUSO looks forward to sharing their next concert on April 9, at 7:30 p.m., at the Howard Performing Arts Center.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.