UMW community symphony orchestra: upcoming concert tour

It has been decided; the UMW Community Symphony Orchestra will be touring sunny southern California in May, 2010. the tour will take place between May 10 – 16, and will consist of seven days and six nights in the areas of the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles. The people that go will be able to tour the southern California area, and there are a total of four musical concerts requested for the time frame. There is an application process at the venues and often times there is a waiting list at the more well known ones. The orchestra may not be notified if they will be able to play at certain venues until shortly before they are to leave for their tour.

The trip has been organized by a company named Cultural Tour Consultants. Flights, hotels, and sightseeing destinations are all prearranged for the orchestra. The concert dates and venues are tentative at his point. Just a few of the exciting things to see and experience on this trip are: the San Diego Zoo, a San Diego harbor cruise, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood sign, and even a full day at Disneyland. Musical concerts have been requested in Balboa park, on the Santa Monica pier, the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, and at Layola Marymount University. A detailed trip itinerary is available on the UMW Community Orchestra web page via the university web page.

According to the conductor of the UMW Community Orchestra, Dr. Kevin Bartrum, anyone who is somehow affiliated with the orchestra is eligible for the trip, not just the orchestra members themselves. That means that members of the Friends of the Orchestra, close friends and family, and actual orchestra members, of course, are eligible.

To take a small burden from the cost of the trip, all tour-goers can volunteer for a participating non-profit organization and receive one free ticket for admission at Disneyland. Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, Disneyland will be giving away one million free tickets for admission to the theme park in exchange for one day of volunteer service. Of course, there are a few stipulations and rules that must be adhered to before one can claim a ticket, such as registering online with Disney, must be a resident of the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico, and volunteers must be 18 years or older. Volunteers six to 17 are eligible only with adult supervision during the volunteer work. For the program terms & conditions in their entirety see http://tinyurl.com/ydn4gx7.

The UMW Jazz Ensemble has also been invited on the concert tour. In fact, one the the concerts, the one requested on the Santa Monica pier, is a concert exclusively for them to perform. Barbara Langworthy, a viola player in the orchestra who also went on the previous concert tour to London and Paris, hopes to have “more people come along this time.” As of now, there are only 8 people signed up to go on this tour. Dr. Bartrum included one last important note; “If we don’t get a lot more, then we cannot go.”