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Photograph by Zachary Beecher
School may be out, but the students of the Saratoga High School band, orchestra and choirs, including Fnoni-Takeshi Harada (left), are still hard at work. The groups have been invited to be part of a prestigious music festival in Australia, including a concert at the Sydney Opera House, in early July.
Students fly up and over to the land Down Under
Saratoga choir, band orchestra heading to Australia in July
By Jennifer McBride
If it seems there's a shortage of teens around Saratoga in July, there's a good reason for it--they've all headed Down Under.
No less than 15 percent of the Saratoga High School student population is heading to Australia in July; that's more than 200 students. One plane couldn't even hold them all--they had to book two.
The school's choir, band and orchestra were given the opportunity to perform in one of the most beautiful and renowned venues in the world--the Sydney Opera House.
The Saratoga High music department has been selected to participate in a prestigious music festival that celebrates Australia's friendship with the United States and with music, called "Present Australia."
The school's musical groups will give three different concerts during their 15-day trip. On the Fourth of July, they will perform "An American in Sydney" for a special gathering of Australian and American politicians, including the U.S. consulate general to Australia. The audience is expected to be 500 strong, as the government is also inviting Americans who live in Sydney to attend, as a celebration of the bond between the two nations. The groups' musical selections for the night will include both the American and Australian national anthems.
Michael Boitz, director of the band and orchestra, says he is very excited each of the school's groups has also been invited to give an individual performance at both the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Town Hall.
"It's really quite a big deal," he says.
In another performance, all of the bands invited to be a part of the festival will perform one huge number together, a commissioned piece by composer David Gillingham titled "Sails of Time." The number will feature 400 musicians and the Sydney Opera House organ.
The orchestra will also get to participate in such a number--the Saratoga High orchestra has been given top honors to be the featured musicians who will back a combined performance given by all the choirs at the festival--400 singers in all. The number, "Gloria from Misa Azteca," is also a commissioned piece, written by composer Joseph Julian Gonzales especially for the concert.
"I feel very blessed and fortunate that we have this opportunity for our kids," Boitz says.
"I'm really excited. It's going to be a lot of fun," says Anastasia Yee, a violin player who will be a senior at Saratoga High in the fall. "It's such a great experience for our school, getting to play at the Sydney Opera House."
Jim Yowell, director of the school's choirs, says the Saratoga High music department takes a huge trip once every three years. This gives every student who is a part of the music program for all four years the chance to go on a big trip at least once during their high school career. The last trip was in 2003, when they took a European tour of Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
For Jeff Lee, who just graduated a couple of weeks ago, this trip will be his final high school experience. Lee, who has been in the school's music program four years, will perform with both the choir and the orchestra in Australia, and he says, if it is anything like the European tour of his freshman year, it will a trip to remember.
"It was one of the best bonding experiences I've ever had, in terms of [performing] music, and [being with] my fellow music department members and other musically oriented members of other countries," he says.
"We try to give the students an experience that's more like a collegiate experience," Yowell says, which they do with travels to other cities and countries for opportunities to play for audiences outside of Saratoga.
Of course, no big trip comes without a hefty price tag.
"I think the final costs came out to around $3,600 per student," Yowell estimates. Yowell says the students are responsible for coming up with that money themselves. In an effort to offset those costs, the students are presented with three school-sponsored fundraising opportunities each year. The money each student brings in individually is marked off his or her balance. If, after that, any student is unable to come up with the balance, Yowell says there are scholarships available.
"Anyone who doesn't go on the trip, it's by choice, such as a summer job they can't get out of, or summer school," he says. "We don't exclude anyone for financial reasons."
Family members are also invited to come along, provided they pay their own costs. Yowell says there are parent chaperones traveling with the group, as well as 45 "shadows," or family members who are coming just to see the performances and enjoy the trip.
The trip is also a lot of work. Boitz and Yowell say as soon as one trip is over, the department immediately starts planning the next trip, three years away.
It's that kind of stress that keeps Boitz up in the middle of the night.
"I'm ecstatically excited, but I keep waking up in the middle of the night, thinking about last-minute details," he says with a laugh. "I'm a worrywart."
The band, orchestra and choirs of Saratoga High School was to perform a special farewell concert to kick off the Australia tour at the McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center on campus, 20300 Herriman Ave., on June 27.
