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On Wednesday, the Souhegan High School jazz band left for Europe, where they
are spending a week and a half performing in
Germany,
Austria and the Czech
Republic.
“The biggest thing that separates this trip from others that Souhegan
students have taken is that we’re really putting ourselves out there to
perform,” Carl Benevides, the band director, said before the trip. “The
stakes are a lot higher because we are presenting not only the school, but
also American jazz.”
Benevides commended the musicians for all the work they’ve done to make
the trip a success. The band has been practicing since last April and has
participated in festivals, worked with guest clinicians and held an extended
rehearsal schedule. Some students have even begun private lessons
specifically to improve their playing for this trip.
“I am really excited for the trip,” junior trumpet play Jocelyn Morelli
said. “I’ve never been to Europe before and I never dreamed I would have
this kind of opportunity.”
 The
band will have six performances during their trip, but they made sure to
leave time for sightseeing. The itinerary includes visiting the new
Parliament and the Pergamon Museum in
Berlin, and the Bach Museum,
Zwinger Palace and the Mendelssohn House in
Dresden.
In Prague,
the band will visit Terzin, the Jewish Quarter, the Tyn Church, the
Astronomical Clock, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Old Royal Palace. After
that, they will visit the Parliament, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the State
Opera and the Schonbnenn in
Vienna,
and then travel to
Salzburg
to see such places as the Mirabel Palace and Gardens.
After the trip, Benevides just wants the jazz band to relax. He plans to
do some sight-reading of new music and work with the new musicians for the
upcoming year.
Kathleen Nishimoto is a senior at Souhegan High School in Amherst.
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