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CYSO's Encore Chamber Orchestra Tour to Central Europe a Success

by Rebecca Hill

Thirty-eight young musicians and six staff chaperones left Chicago on June 16, 2005 , embarking on a ten-day, four-concert tour. The first stop on the tour was Budapest , Hungary , where the musicians performed at the National Concert Hall in the brand-new Palace of the Arts, which opened in March 2005. The orchestra performed several encores for a nearly full house. Russell Johnson, famed acoustical designer and creator of the National Concert Hall's acoustical design, attended the rehearsal and concert. This was an amazing experience for Music Director Allen Tinkham and the Encore musicians, because Mr. Johnson was able to manipulate the sound panels to enhance the orchestra's sound. Lauren Toosevich, a trombonist, remarked, “That hall was mistake-proof! It was so cool—even during rehearsal!” Clarinetist Richard Li agreed, adding that performing in the hall “was definitely an unforgettable experience.”

In Vienna , concerts at Esterhazy Palace (where Joseph Haydn was employed) and Palais Lichtenstein went very well; the Palais Lichtenstein concert was completely sold out! In the capacity crowd were CYSO Board member Wolf Peddinghaus and his family; CYSO parents David Whitney and Juliana Chyu attended the concert at Esterhazy.

In Prague , the musicians presented a concert at the Rudolfinum at Dvorak Hall. This concert, also nearly sold out, was received enthusiastically. Another highlight of Prague was a dinner cruise on the Vltava River , during which the city's most beautiful buildings were illuminated by a fantastic fireworks display.

This tour enabled the musicians to expand their world views. As bassoonist Brittany Walker said, “In Europe, everything is very old so it shows the history of the country. I would like to visit Europe again someday soon because it is certainly a memorable place to visit; the people, places, and things that we saw there were so beautiful.” Others remarked to the chaperones that they liked learning phrases in Hungarian, German, and Czech because this knowledge allowed them to communicate with the locals without immediately speaking English to them. As the tour came to and end, many of the musicians were not ready to come home.