NEW TRIER BLOG
Departure Day.
Just outside Gaffney Auditorium, nearly 200
orchestra, band and choir members await the arrival of tour buses to begin our
trip abroad. “The halls are alive…with
the sound of musicians”. Whether it’s a
state swimming championship, a science Olympiad, or this journey to Australia,
New Trier’s creative forces produce historic results.
Twenty hours of flight time allows people to get caught
up with many aspects of their lives, whether
It be correspondence or the dusty novel removed from the shelves
at home. It is possible that we will
have an expert in Babylonian by arrival.
Much of the group is on a brand new A380, the double decker
Airbus seating 450, and offering individual ipads (or
close equivalent) which will show films of all categories, games, news,
whatever. I chose two Oscar winning
films and still had time to redecorate
My row of eight chairs.
Arrival Day
Walking off is an experience akin to what Rod Blagojevic
will appreciate 15 years hence…a yearning for freedom realized at long
last. Strolling through Sydney Airport
is not terribly different from most major hubs, but the outdoors is permeated
with the essences of ocean air. The tour
vehicles gobble up 200+ bodies and a greater number of instruments. Without their rigid frames, this caravan
would look like a line of extravagantly pregnant guppies. Driving along, we see unusual flora,
different billboards, and seatmates share individual thoughts, but a unanimous
cheer erupts when we spy the tips of the Opera House “sails”. This is surpassed as we cross the iconic
bridge over the crenulated expanse of Sydney Harbour, which is busy even on a
Sunday morning with water craft of every sort.
North of the harbor, we begin our first traversal of the
peninsula which boasts beaches of pristine beauty with burnished gold sands and
water so clear you’d swear mankind had not yet appeared on this
Planet.
Pittwater High buildings are low profile, lightly colored
brick structures tucked in amidst lots of piney trees and low shrubs, blending
wonderfully in the environment. Martin
Hardy, the music director, welcomes us and Kathy Small has masterfully
organized the homestays. Host families
gradually arrive
And pair up with students; each set departs amidst
applause. The welcome is so genuine
that, without exception we feel like royalty.
Over the next few hours of daylight we catch sightings of one another on
beaches and in the streets. What good
fortune to swim, or stroll up to a lighthouse in this spectacular setting we will
call home for better than a week.
Odds and ends for the day:
Mass chuckle when
we see a sign for an auto repair shop, here known as “Smash Ups” or panel
beaters.
A positive sighting of a sunning penguin lures a bunch of
us to the rocks. At the last moment, it
takes wing. One student, with a wink,
says we’ve just seen the amazing Australian flying penguin (turns out to have
been a “shag”, a small cormorant).
An SUV pulls alongside our car sporting what appears to
be a periscope. Rick Mitchell, our host,
identifies it as a snorkel, essential
when driving through flood waters. Joint
sales venture anyone? Under Winnetka Ave or Pratt Ave overpasses this
July could make a fortune. The Paine
family already has a bassoon.
Day Two
You would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t
sleep well since we were under orders not to nap and to be in bed by 9pm. Complying with the first order was brutal. The latter was so effortless that the
opportunity to say “G’nite mate” was lost.
Buses head south from Pittwater and we barely contain our
enthusiasm. Every kilometer offers
something fresh, like a small flock of sulfur-crested cockatoos on a rugby
field, estimated value $40,000 USA.
Bruce Daugherty sees his creditors dropping away like flies. He then cannot be bothered as he mends a
French horn which was damaged en route.
Students come first for him—we hope he doesn’t miss a herd of ‘roos
because of his selflessness.
First stop of the day is at North Head overlooking the
entrance to Sydney harbor. At approx.
100 meters,
This and the South Head magnificently frame the westward
view to the city skyline and all the surrounding natural beauty. It is a perfect photo opportunity, and
terabits of images are created in individual, small group, and grand portraits. A line of twenty guys prepares to jump on
cue. Some go high, some stay low, and
some are left behind. Louise Hardy, Bus
2 guide, with a twinkle in her eye
comments “I hope their musical efforts are a tad more unified”. Tacked end-to-end, the boys’ smiles are
broader than the mouth of the harbor.
We head toward Manly Beach, so named because an early
settler (1820’s) was approached by a group of 20 fearsome indigenous men who
were personable, wished to trade, and behaved in a “manly” way.
We are told this is not beach time and are most strongly
advised to get lunch now with rehearsals looming. Some compliant ones do so leisurely or if
hungry grab two fisted. Everyone is back
to the beach ASAP and the numbers getting wet grow exponentially. What the hey, we’re in Austray!
Back to school for rehearsal, and a couple of hours
later, the students are whisked home by their hosts to experience fabulous
outdoor activities, dining surprises, culminating in heads collapsed on pillows
which enfold our own otherworldly dreamtimes.
Day Three
After three hours of rehearsal, we head toward the
ocean. Newport Beach is equipped to
handle the lunch needs of nearly 50% of us, and we bring our fried foods and
worthless carbohydrates on board the buses, ravenous but we cannot soil the
transport. A burger is nearly 1000
kJ’s(that’s kilojoules, not calories)
It’s so easy to deny our sins when it’s metric.
Warning! Warning! John Schultess the tour master says “ beware
the dangerous Australian waters. All
swimming must be conducted between two flags under lifeguard supervision. We do not want to retrieve your bloated
corpse from the water in two weeks”.
That got our attention. I guess reefs and rips will rock ‘n roll you.
Palm Beach is famous for the filming of the British soap
“Far and Away”. Locals have nicknamed it
“Take it Away” because the hoopla of stars and equipment disturbs the
peace. “Baywatch” did the same thing and
even offered major municipal improvements as an enticement to broaden filming.
“Fuggedaboudit!” Beach residents didn’t want more of the world
to know about the area’s charms and its idyllic nature is presently preserved.
We get off at the north end of
“Palmy”, and its outcrop Barrenjoey Head is looms with a lighthouse. There is a lengthy stretch of sand southward
and if one squints hard enough, there are what appear to be two teeny protozoan
flagella flapping. Those must be the
flags and the Exodus sets off across the expanse. New Trier finally has a marching band
straggling out over a kilometer. It’s
fun to see one after another run into the water until the “legal” space is
chock full of bodysurfers, and the waves are great.
Saltwater gets everywhere so
no nettipots will be necessary at days end.
One backpack and tennis shoes are reclaimed from the sands by vigilant
chaperones, and we trudge back across the dunes, encouraged from the rear by
our leader Peter “Lawrence of Arabia” O’Rosheger.
After a quick refresher at
host homes, the kids return for an evening concert at Pittwater High. Nearly every seat is set up, the refreshment
stand is raking in dough, and at 7pm, the New Trier Symphonic Wind Ensemble
offers its 40 minute program. After four
sparkling pieces, Matt Temple is absolutely the happiest many have ever
witnessed as he hands the baton to Bruce Daugherty for Susa’s march, a resounding conclusion which affirmed the
brother/sisterhood of our countries and cities.
Martin Hardy leads the North
Shore Concert Winds, a group of young and mature veterans whose tremendous
sound and selections add to the diversity and delight of the evening
programming. The audience devours this
second course and further delights are mouth-wateringly close.
Tim Dohrer comes front and
center and expresses gracious thanks to our hosts. His descriptions of the history of New Trier
and its accomplishments are concise and sincere, and his desire to extend in
perpetuity the warm relations across the seas reflects all our hearts.
Rosh and his bunch dive into
Bernstein; Patty Rohrer reacquaints us with the joys of Grainger, and Copeland
caps it all. Even the weather cooperates
as a serious downpour assaults the metal roof of the auditorium
(gymnasium). A bit on, during a
decrescendo, the deluge abates, the dynamic approaches piano, and the last few
drips of the storm are heard pianissimo.
We rename the piece Australian Spring.
Day 4
Our first stop is in the
shadows of “the bridge” for photographs with the Opera House across the
harbor. When the entire NT troupe is
finally arranged in tiers, the photographer has everyone say “Sydney”. Next symphony, then band, and finally choir
are done, and choir spirit wins, for sure, with cheers as loud as a football
stadium section, and antics by David Ladd and Susan Vaughn.
While the smaller groups pose,
it is fun to watch the rest of our mob milling about the rolling lawn with lots
of photo ops, gamboling about in groups on the grassy expanse. Clearly, all batteries have been fully
recharged.
We’ve been lucky with just a
bit of overcast but the heavens open as we drive to and walk into Paddy’s
market. The prospect of Pacific payola
drives hunters through windswept torrents—with quarry of purses, hats, T-shirts
and stocking stuffers, basement bargains all.
The food court has equally kaleidoscopic offerings, lacking only Sri
Lankan fare and Boston baked beans.
Sadly, we lack the facilities to do a quick soup with the raw cod heads.
A dry fifteen minute walk on
the wharf takes us toward our ferry.
Mayors Emanuel and all before him would have sold their souls to have an
asset like Sydney Harbour in Chicago.
Were they to be transported here to Sydney, Navy pier and Michigan
Avenue would be the “American Exhibit” in this World’s Fair of a place.
We board a huge catamaran,
back out of the berth, and head toward a close encounter with the Opera
House. In photos, the roofs have always
appeared sail-like, in shape and texture.
In fact, interlocking tiles and metallic spacers impart a hitherto
unknown geometric beauty. Botanic
gardens stand close but apart from the Opera House and together these
attractions are the yin and yang of man-made and natural beauty.
Cruising around the harbor in
a gentle rain bothers no one for you can join in the ruckus of myriad
conversations or stroll the deck to see eight-figure real estate holdings of
families like the Murdochs, Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush—the harbor for winter
and the North Shore (Manly to Palm Beach) in summer. Great weather and great water have built this
place, like Monaco or Lake Como, so lush is the vegetation around the multistoried
homes with private beaches and docks, no two of which are exactly alike.
Sydney’s sister city is San
Francisco, sharing sun, hills, and an island jail in shark-infested
waters. They one-upped us with prisoners
hung for display. That was a century
ago, but ya never know for sure.
Back on land, the Opera House
beckons and we stroll past hundreds of sight seers eager to be more than just
that. Passes permit us to enter inner
sancta like the “green room”, where tuning is done; there are sound checks and just relaxing
before the show. Our kids KNOW how to
relax and the joint gives ‘em a pool table, good food; there are cards and fast
hand games and lots of exploring. Naps,
no way. Thank the Fine Arts Association
again for formal ware, because the concert hall is incredible. If you can imagine a more gorgeous and
inspiring space, no one would believe you as the ceiling soars, what, 200
feet? The organ pipes in their prominent
space facing the conductor gleam in polished steel, and the walls feel a bit
like the inside of a massive hand hewn hull of aboriginal oversize timbers. 700
seats look like carefully arranged Spanish peanuts in their reddish smallness,
and an equal number in the back balcony are appealing because of the equality
of seating—no nose bleeds. On the wings,
there are no loges, but again four or five sets, on each side, of 50-60 seats
with total open views of the giant, warm cavern. Some of us are seated in the chorus loft and
will see the conductors expressions during performance, a rare treat for the
uninitiated. 2700 seats in all and
that’s just the main hall. A few smaller
venues exist on the side and currently offer a broad range of entertainment. Clearly, artists love coming to this place as
the billboards proclaim visits by great ones soon to come.
Pittwater High, in its natty
all-black outfits starts the evening under the direction of its assistant
conductor. Three pieces later, after a
gig on the euphonium, Martin Hardy wraps up a tremendously
Energetic and fun set.
Mr. Temple and his Symphonic
Wind Ensemble give a twenty-one gun salute to the glory of band music.
And this is the right place to do it.
The Concert Choir serves up a broad and inviting
repertoire and the eyeball-to-eyeball contact of the singers with Mr. Ladd and
Ms. Vaughn made the pieces dance, pray, cry and shout for joy.
March 26, 2012
We are sitting outside Pittwater high school, listening to
the symphony orchestra rehearse. We were just given a mini-tour of the
hospitality classroom. It is like a cooking class. The facility here is really
nice. The hospitality teacher was very friendly. A bell just rang and now a
bunch of students are outside. I think it is their recess or lunch time. We are
going to try and mingle with the students now. They look very friendly. Signing
off,
Jesse Gamoran
Australia is amazing! The ocean has the biggest waves we’ve
ever seen and their winter is basically our summer. Both of our host families
are fantastic and they have the best food! Barbies on the grill! The lifestyle
here is so relaxed and chill. It’s not uncommon to see people walking around
barefoot around town or in the grocery store. Tomorrow is our big night at the
Sydney Opera House; can’t believe it’s finally here! It looks even more amazing
than it does in Finding Nemo! (42 Wallaby Way, Sydney)
Right now we’re at Pittwater High School waiting to go to
the beach. Both the band and orchestra had rehearsals this morning and we have
a concert tonight. Everyone has been welcoming and we’ve gotten a lot of
attention because of our accents! Especially for the word “water.” “Apparently
we say it strangely. We’re adjusted to the time change fairly well. It wasn’t
nearly as bad as I thought it would be; 31 hours of travel time gives you
plenty of time to rest. But for now we’re making some awesome new Australian
friends and trying to pick up some Aussie lingo.
See you soon Chicago!
Cristina Foschi and Sarah Davidson
Final Night!!!
G’day everybody this is Danielle
Fraser! (and Anya……..) :/ Anyway we had an amazing day at Sydney Harbor and at
the Queen Victoria Building. Hi guys its
ANNA. Sydney is so nice and warm! Sunday was so much! My host family took us to
the mall! It was so nice and big. Oh and Target is so expensive here! I was a
little shocked! Then we went surfing with Grace, our host family’s daughter and
her friend Ella. It was SO MUCH FUN! I was kind of good at it! I couldn’t open
my eyes for like 10 minutes because of the salt water :P But it was fun!! I
love surfing! I’ll try it again one day! We had a great day today at the
Wildlife Reserve Downtown. I FINALLY SAW A KOALA AND A KANGAROO!!! It was cool!
Apparently there are 3 kangaroos for every 1 person in Australia! The koalas
were so lazy and adorable. Hi guys it’s DANIELLE now, I got to take a picture
with a koala named Elle, she was the cutest thing ever! Anna here! I only got
to see them from afar L
BUT I did get ALMOST pecked by an EMU! Haha it was awesome! I also pet a snake…
it was weird. Then I pet a lizard. Then we played on a playground at Darling
Harbour. Honestly…I’m kind of ready to go home!! I miss you mom and dad! Me too
mom and dad, love Danielle! Save travels everybody! Gnite!
Hey! Abby G here. I haven’t blogged in a while so there
are a few new highlights to talk about. First of all, on Saturday we had
Butterbeer flavored shave ice (snow cone). For those people who don’t know,
Butterbeer is from Harry Potter, it’s not actually alcoholic obviously. Sunday
was the last day with our host families. Danielle and I went to Taronga Zoo
with our host family, the Hassanens. We saw free roaming kangaroos and adorable
koalas in trees so close! Also we saw a Tazmanian Devil, which looks nothing
like Taz from Looney Tunes, but was really cute. I will miss my host family so
much, they were amazing and really made our trip comfortable. They were also
very welcoming. Today was our last day. We shopped at Queen Victoria Building
and Darling Harbour. At the wildlife park we took our picture with a real
koala, named Elle. She was soft and I want to keep her! Ok well bye Australia!!
This is Audrey!!! Hey J Today
is the last night in Australia so before we leave I wanted to state everything
I would miss like I did when I left the Philippines. I’m going to miss the
koalas, the kangaroos, all of the birds, Michael’s boat, diving in Elvina
Wharf, going on the speed boat, seeing the Gill-Andrews family, singing Disney
songs, Darling Harbor, Sydney Opera House, hanging out with everyone from
Concert Choir, Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra, Pittwater high school,
souvenir shopping, VEGEMITE (yes I’m not lying), Just Juice, watching The
Hunger Games in the cinema, talking in an American-Australian accent, the nice busdrivers
and ferry drivers in Pittwater, the many beaches, the great weather, emus,
Concert Choir songs, Paddy’s Market, Crunchies, Violet Crumbles, Tim Tams and
milk, no homework, Australian accents and slang and having the time to enjoy
staying at this beautiful country. Seriously I don’t want to leave J
G’day!
Hi this is Elisabeth, Barbara,
Emily, Rachel, Rong, and Megan (big group huh?)!!! Today we went back to Sydney
to go to Queen Victoria Mall. Swanky place. We saw the statue of Queen
Victoria, window shopped, and bought Tim-Tams. Megan even bought her prom
dress!! Then, we explored Darling Harbor and went to Wild Life Sydney (a zoo).
We took pictures of just about everything and had loads of fun! Some of us even
got pictures with koalas!! But one of our highlights was the crocodile feeding.
The croc was 5m long and named Rex. He leapt into the air to grab meat from the
feeding sticks!! After Wild Life Sydney, some of us got coffee and yummy crepes
and had heaps of fun trying on hats in all the stores. Some of us went to
McDonald’s and an ibis was strutting around eating food and pooping.
Appetizing, right? Tonight, we are having a fun time packing and already
missing Australia. Most of us leave at 4:30 AM tomorrow and have 11 hours of
layover. But we’re looking forward to seeing our families soon!! G’Day!! J
It’s KTowns again… I am past
where I thought I could go right now. I’m stressed because people keep messing
with me and my business and I’m trying to cool off and they follow me and try
to hug me and it’s just… it’s just… I’m past where I thought I could go. I have
had a cappuccino, and two hot chocolates, and I’m going to pull an all-nighter
because we leave at 4:30 in the morning, but right now, I am just past where I
thought humanly possible… I’ll see you guys in Chicago if I haven’t blown up by
then.
Great feeling going home. Very memorable trip. Gottu know
new Australian friends as well as New Trier Kids. Not very good wii-fii at the
airport – David
This has been an amazing trip. I’m so sad to leave but I’m
excited to get home. –Emma
What Emma said. –Arthur
What Arthur said.—Bob
I had so much fun here. I’m not excited to go back to school
but I’m excited to go back home and take a 15 hour nap.- Stella
Australia is such an amazing country! I’m incredibly sad to
go home, but I am looking forward to a nice shower and my own room. –Sophie
Although Australia is seriously lacking free wi-fi, water
fountains and trash cans, I love this country! But I’m excited to go home and
take the longest shower ever. –Sarah D
Australia is a truly amazing, wonderful, generous, loyal,
helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful country. Although
everything here is quite expensive (except for 30 cent ice creams at mcdonalds)
I had the best time here. – Sensei Ben Lee.
Australia was an amazing place with incredibly friendly people
and great hospitality. I’m sad to leave, and I’ll miss my host family so much!
–Spencer Moy