By Jason Emerson

editor

Four Cazenovia student musicians recently returned from a trip to Europe where they performed at venues in four countries and, while there, were able to visit cultural and educational sites on the Continent.

Cazenovia High School upper classmen Emmie Dolbear (Rising Junior – Flute), Emma Wardell (Rising Junior – Flute), Janie Kempf (Class of 2017 graduate – Oboe) and Kate Hale (Class of 2017 graduate – Clarinet), traveling through the program American Music Abroad, rehearsed for three days in East Stroudsburg, Pa., at the end of June with students from all over the Northeast before departing for Switzerland. They then did performances and sight-seeing in Italy, Austria, Germany and France. The students were able to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Austrian Alps, Mozart’s birthplace in Salzburg and the World War II concentration camp at Dachau, among others, before returning to the U.S. on July 18.

“It was amazing; I’m so glad I went,” said Wardell. “Having a snowball fight on top of a mountain an Austrian mountain in July might just be my favorite part.”

Kempf, who celebrated her birthday in Europe, said she was nervous at first to be so far from friends and family, but was glad she did it. “There are too many great experiences to count,” she said. “The concentration camp in Dachau was pretty powerful.”

“It was amazing,” said Dolbear. “So fun and everything was so cool and beautiful over there. The cities were my favorite, especially Florence and Lucerne. The shopping there was excellent and the mountain views were the best I’ll ever see.”

“It was truly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” said Hale.

Cazenovia High School band teacher and incoming department head Kevin Johnson said he was extremely proud of these students for being ambassadors of Cazenovia through their music. “These students have spent a lot of hours through the years practicing their music and I’m glad they get to see what opportunities their music can present them,” Johnson said.

American Music Abroad, founded in 1975, seeks to “spread the international language of music through musical performances and enrich the lives of our students through cultural experiences,” according to organization information.

Each year, the AMA selects high school musicians to participate in the tour, based on recommendations from their director and/or musical achievement demonstrated on audition recordings. Each tour is structured to maximize cultural and educational opportunities, and a full-time experienced tour escort travels with each group.

The AMA has organized over 320 musical tours with a specialization/concentration on Western Europe involving over 35,000 participants in the past 40 years.

For more information about the AMA, visit americanmusicabroad.com.