Levi Cull: I Cannot Wait to Go!

Upon hearing the news that the orchestra could possibly be going to China in the following year, needless to say I was a little skeptical. So many things are required to get a group as big as our orchestra to travel to another state, yet alone another country! But, I stayed optimistic, thinking of how great an experience it could be. Sure enough, the next semester arrived and Dr. Alexander (the director of the orchestra) said that we were officially going.

You can imagine how all of the students in the orchestra responded; we were all ecstatic to find this out! Yet, many of us did not have our passports (like me for example) and had to go through many lengths to get them by the date we needed them. I had to pay about $215 for mine! I was not very happy about that at the moment, but I came to accept that it was for a great cause and something that I would truly learn a great deal about not only myself as a musician but also more about other cultures and the way music affects the entire world.

On New Year's Day, when we get on a plane as one big group embarking on a trip halfway across the world this will be the first time most of the students in the orchestra will be leaving this country. For this reason, we have been having sessions with an instructor from China that has been teaching us cultural and economic information about the country so we will know how to survive better. One of the most interesting things that I have learned so far in these meetings is that Chinese language uses a great deal more voice inflection and pitch changing than does the English language. In comparison, the English language is very flat and the same throughout while the Chinese language changes many times in just one word! In the next couple meetings, we are expected to learn more about what to bring with us to China and what exactly our itinerary will be while we are over there.

The date is continually getting closer and closer. It seems as though just yesterday we had three months, but now it is almost one month out! I am getting more and more excited at every rehearsal, meeting, and information session that we have. I cannot wait to go on this tremendous journey!

Christina Volz: On Learning Chinese, Chen Yi & More

Today is the Monday before Thanksgiving break and we have another Chinese class this morning. Our classes have been getting progressively more difficult and interesting as they go on (now we're expected to actually remember things... yikes!). It's been challenging to find the time and energy to study another language during this crazy period of finals at the end of the semester, but we're all trying to make it work. Hopefully, once school gets out, the orchestra will have a little more time to devote to our Chinese studies. 

I'm very excited to perform the Chen Yi in China. It's become one of my favorite pieces that we've performed in orchestra this semester. This piece has brought about a curiosity of Chinese history for me that is actually making me more excited to go (if this is possible)! I'm nervous to perform at the conservatory, but hopefully they will enjoy the concert. 

It was a struggle to come up with the payments for this trip (there were many days of eating ramen!), but the experiences one gains from international travel are priceless. I've never been to China and I'm incredibly excited to see what new experiences and perspectives this trip will bring!

Michael Alexander: An Amazing Opportunity

I will never forget the day that I was able to announce to the KSU Orchestra that we had been invited to perform in China.  The look on everyone's face was priceless.  From that day last Spring until now, it has been a whirlwind of excitement and details.

First, none of this would be possible without the amazing amount of support we have gathered from KSU and beyond.  Second, the students in the orchestra have done an incredible job to prepare what we needed to be able to have a successful trip.  Finally, the trip itself will be amazing.  In addition to being able to tour some amazing places, we will perform three incredible concerts, spend time with Chinese Conservatory Orchestras, and learn about Chinese instruments and culture.

This trip has already opened up so many doors for us.  Chen Yi, a distinguished Chinese composer and graduate of the Central Conservatory in Beijing where we will perform, has worked with us on performing her music and understanding the differences in how to interpret Chinese music.  We are so honored that a composer of this magnitude has taken such an interest in our work.  I cannot wait to be able to perform it for Chinese audiences, which will include 2,000 people at the new concert hall in Xi'an and packed houses at the Central Conservatory and Jiao Tong University.

I am incredibly proud of the orchestra after our concert last night.  What a thrill it is to work with dedicated musicians that are willing to share their passion.  The hardest part right now is knowing that we have just over 40 days until we go.  I wish it could be tomorrow!!

Holly Botella: Extremely Excited!

When I found out I was going to China, I was extremely excited!  My friends and I celebrated by going to a Chinese buffet for lunch that day (although, I'm pretty sure they don't give you a fortune cookie after every meal in China, which is a little depressing).  I've only been out of the country once and I was only nine at the time, so unfortunately I was a little too young to remember the experience.  


Now that the hardest part of preparing for the trip is over—making payments (thanks, Dad!), renewing my passport, weighing my flute and piccolo on the hanging scale located in the fruits and veggie section at Publix because they don't weigh enough to register on a bathroom scale so I could record their weight for Customs, etc.—the countdown begins!  


I'm even more pumped for the trip after our concert this week!  We performed three of the four pieces we'll be playing in China.  I was imagining what it would be like to perform for an audience of two thousand people as I was playing in the concert.  What a rush!  We'll have a series of rehearsals leading up to our much-awaited departure on December 31st.  I feel strongly that after tonight's performance we'll be very well prepared to represent the KSU School of Music in China.  43 DAYS LEFT!!!