Members of the Fort High senior band have their bags packed and instruments shined as they get ready to embark on a 13-day trip to Germany and Austria tomorrow at 4 a.m.
“There will be 107 students going on the trip,” FFHS music teacher and band director John Dutton said yesterday. “The trip will begin with us flying into Frankfurt, and then going to Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich.
“We will be visiting a lot of places.”
The trip will see the students visit a number of historical sites, as well as play at several prestigious places.
“We will be playing a number of concerts,” noted Dutton. “Altogether, we will be playing four times on our trip. We will be playing at the Parliament buildings in Bonn, the government building in Munich, and the Canadian Embassy in Vienna.
“You would think they would be nervous about these performances but they are not,” he stressed. “In fact, I think they are more nervous about flying than performing.
“For many of them, this is their first time on a plane. It is certainly a good baptism for them because they will have to take several flights rather than just one.
“They will certainly get a good taste of flying.”
Band member Heather Oglivie is looking forward to the trip and the chance she’ll have to learn something about the German culture.
“I am really interested to find out what their culture is like,” Oglivie said. “At first I thought it was going to be very different but now I think it is going to be quite a bit like ours.
“So much of this trip is going to be a surprise. I am very excited about the whole thing,” she enthused.
Although Oglivie has no fears about the eight-hour flight from Toronto to Frankfurt, one worry has been on her mind since she learned she was taking the trip.
“I am worried that I am going to lose my passport somewhere,” she admitted. “I have been worried about that for some time now.”
With much of their trip revolving around musical performances, Dutton is hoping the band will play as well abroad as they did during their final practice here yesterday.
“It is getting a little bit hairy,” he remarked. “We had our last performance [Tuesday morning] and it went very well. I think we are pretty much where we want to be and we are all very ready to perform.
“The students have all been rehearsing very hard,” he added. “They have been practising six times a week and have all done very well. I think they are going to do just fine.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
