This Winter Term the School of Music's Chamber Orchestra will travel to London, reviving a long tradition of DePauw concert touring.
Between 1975 and 2010 the Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra have alternated yearly to go on a combined total of 130 concert touring trips to destinations as diverse as China, Japan, the Czech Republic, Austria, Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain, Canada, along with the Southwest U.S., North East U.S. and Central U.S.
The refinement that goes into concert tours is valuable to students' musical education.
"It's the next level of how we want them to develop," Orcenith Smith, director of the Chamber Orchestra, said. "They're having to win over an audience that doesn't know who they are or where they are in the development process, which adds another level of responsibility that we have to rehearse for."
The Winter Term group will travel around London playing concerts at different venues and sightseeing. They'll go to places such as Stonehedge, the Roman Bass, Shakespeare's home in Stratsford, Cambridge, Oxford and St. Paul's Cathedral.
Smith recognizes that touring shouldn't just be about the places and people that students play for, but it should also be about getting a sense of another culture. He expects students to spend free time going to Big Ben, riding on the red double-decker bus and the Tube, catching an infamous black cab, and walking the streets of London.
"Students will be awash in the iconic culture things," Smith said.
The students are equally as excited.
"I've been looking forward to the orchestra touring for all four years here, and this is the first time we have the financial backing to do it," senior oboe player Leah Somerville said. "It's always a good experience to play in new places and perform for new audiences. It teaches you how malleable you have to be as a performer."
Dean of the School of Music, Mark McCoy, identifies concert touring as not only significant to student development but also as a means for positive reflection on DePauw.
"Domestic and foreign concert touring is a vital part of preparing musicians for successful careers. We are thrilled that the Chamber Orchestra will be performing in Europe this winter. These efforts continue to bring DePauw national and international acclaim and make DePauw even more attractive to prospective students," McCoy said in an email.
A unique aspect of this concert tour in London will be the inclusion of Dr. Nicole Brockmann as a viola soloist on the tour.
The Chamber Orchaestra encourages all to attend their pre-tour concert at Kresge on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m.