Wind ensemble created specifically to travel overseas
Band to in England and Ireland over spring break
Leah Thorsen
Issue date: 3/14/02 Section: Spotlight
When Richard Mark Heidel joined the music department faculty last year, one of the goals he had was to take a band overseas to perform.
In his second year here, Heidel, an assistant professor of music and director of bands, will do just that.
The Symphonic Wind Ensemble was formed specifically for a spring break concert tour of Ireland and London. It will be the first time that a UW-Eau Claire band will travel overseas to perform.
The program is "Across the Pond," a collection of Irish and American melodies. It includes performances of "Londonderry Air," an Irish folk song, and selections from the musical "West Side Story."
It's a project Heidel has been organizing since last spring and is inspired by a positive experience he had in a band tour.
Heidel went on a band concert tour to England during his college years at the University of Illinois and said it was a great experience.
Rodney Hudson, associate professor of music, will also be on the trip but performing with the ensemble.
"It potentially could be an experience of a lifetime," Heidel said.
For graduate student Derek Curless, who plays tuba in the ensemble, the decision to go on the trip was easy.
"It's Ireland," he said, adding it's a great chance to go abroad and play with a talented group of musicians.
Curless is one of 45 students scheduled to make the trip. It will be his first trip abroad. Only six of the students registered have been outside the country, Heidel said.
The ensemble will give two concerts in Ireland. They will perform with the orchestra of the Limerick School of Music in Limerick and with the Rathfarnham Concert Band Society in Dublin.
The trip also includes stops in London.
It will be the first spring break trip for senior Anna Marx, who has spent previous breaks in Eau Claire. She graduates in May and said the trip seemed like a good chance to get away.
She said she is looking forward to sharing concerts with the European musicians and to swing dancing in London.
Heidel said the chance to travel abroad is a "golden educational opportunity." He also said it will be a good opportunity for students to interact with musicians from Europe.
After the events of Sept. 11, some groups questioned the safety of traveling outside the country.
"That was a shock to everyone's system," Heidel said. He asked the band to wait and see before making any decision to cancel the trip and only two people quit.
"I feel more safe flying now than I did before (Sept. 11)," Curless said, adding that heightened security measures make him feel better about traveling by plane.
To prepare for the tour, the ensemble has been meeting once a week for 1 1/2 hours.
Eau Claire has a chance to see the program before it takes off. The ensemble will preview its Europe tour next week in a free concert.
Heidel hopes to continue to take bands overseas and said he would like to take a trip every three years.
In his second year here, Heidel, an assistant professor of music and director of bands, will do just that.
The Symphonic Wind Ensemble was formed specifically for a spring break concert tour of Ireland and London. It will be the first time that a UW-Eau Claire band will travel overseas to perform.
The program is "Across the Pond," a collection of Irish and American melodies. It includes performances of "Londonderry Air," an Irish folk song, and selections from the musical "West Side Story."
It's a project Heidel has been organizing since last spring and is inspired by a positive experience he had in a band tour.
Heidel went on a band concert tour to England during his college years at the University of Illinois and said it was a great experience.
Rodney Hudson, associate professor of music, will also be on the trip but performing with the ensemble.
"It potentially could be an experience of a lifetime," Heidel said.
For graduate student Derek Curless, who plays tuba in the ensemble, the decision to go on the trip was easy.
"It's Ireland," he said, adding it's a great chance to go abroad and play with a talented group of musicians.
Curless is one of 45 students scheduled to make the trip. It will be his first trip abroad. Only six of the students registered have been outside the country, Heidel said.
The ensemble will give two concerts in Ireland. They will perform with the orchestra of the Limerick School of Music in Limerick and with the Rathfarnham Concert Band Society in Dublin.
The trip also includes stops in London.
It will be the first spring break trip for senior Anna Marx, who has spent previous breaks in Eau Claire. She graduates in May and said the trip seemed like a good chance to get away.
She said she is looking forward to sharing concerts with the European musicians and to swing dancing in London.
Heidel said the chance to travel abroad is a "golden educational opportunity." He also said it will be a good opportunity for students to interact with musicians from Europe.
After the events of Sept. 11, some groups questioned the safety of traveling outside the country.
"That was a shock to everyone's system," Heidel said. He asked the band to wait and see before making any decision to cancel the trip and only two people quit.
"I feel more safe flying now than I did before (Sept. 11)," Curless said, adding that heightened security measures make him feel better about traveling by plane.
To prepare for the tour, the ensemble has been meeting once a week for 1 1/2 hours.
Eau Claire has a chance to see the program before it takes off. The ensemble will preview its Europe tour next week in a free concert.
Heidel hopes to continue to take bands overseas and said he would like to take a trip every three years.