YOUTH ORCHESTRA HAS WILD RIDE THROUGH COLORADO
First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach
August 8, 2021, VERO BEACH – The Youth Orchestra at First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach had quite a wild ride and many surprises through the Rocky Mountains during their Aspen Invitational trip and Colorado Tour from July 31 to August 7, 2021.
The trip was initially made in response to an invitation to attend the Aspen Music Festival by a festival donor that happens to also be a member of First Presbyterian Church. The plan was to fly into Denver to pick up instrument rentals, and then travel by charter bus to Aspen. On a normal day in Colorado this trip would have been roughly 3.5 hours. However, last year’s wildfires burned up a significant amount of vegetation around Glenwood Canyon, a lengthy stretch of the I-70 interstate through the Rocky Mountains and the only direct route from Denver to Aspen. Heavy rain just days before the Orchestra trip proved to be detrimental as the lack of vegetation made it impossible for the soil to hold on the steep hills, resulting in devastating mudslides that shut down the interstate indefinitely.
After a 4am departure from Vero Beach to the Orlando airport, a 4-hour plane ride and finally their arrival in Denver, their large charter bus needed to be rerouted at the last minute. Plans were to travel over Independence Pass to avoid the closure on I-70. The expected trip time: 4 hours. Unfortunately, upon their arrival to the gateway to Independence pass with only 90 minutes left to their trip, they suddenly were faced with a bit of a conundrum. They were unaware that vehicles over 35 feet long were not allowed on the pass, as the road is very narrow in some places and unsafe for larger vehicles. They were turned around by the rangers and suddenly detoured an extra five hours to the south, through Gunnison and over the breathtaking views through Cottonwood Pass (elevation: 12,126 feet above sea level). Exhausted from already traveling for 14 hours, they continued on their way. Heavy rains and treacherous terrain along steep roads and cliff edges made for slow driving with a very careful, skilled bus driver named John (and some terrified chaperones in the fetal position.) They finally arrived at their hotel in Basalt at 1am. Along with the time change, that’s a total of 23 hours of traveling from the minute they left Vero Beach. The silver lining: they saw much more of the beauty of Colorado than they expected, despite the lengthy detour.
The rest of the trip had a few hiccups with some itinerary adjustments. On Sunday, August 2nd, the group performed for church services at Christ Episcopal Church in Aspen, followed by an exceptional masterclass clinic given by Julliard Professor Erica Ogihara. Each student also received a private lesson from world class musicians, Lindsay Bobyak (bass), Dr. Emily Acri (viola), Erica Ogihara (cello), and Delaney Myers (violins). Although it was a bit rainy, they were still able to enjoy a bit of a concert by the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra before heading back to their hotel for dinner and much needed rest. The next day the group attended private lessons, hiking, and offered a concert at Christ Episcopal Church which was received very well.
After more hikes and a trip to Glenwood Hot Springs, the group made their way back around the long detour (a 7-hour trip that would have been 2.5 had the interstate been open), over to Breckenridge, where they enjoyed more hiking, a gondola ride, and a wonderful dinner provided by their director, Dr. Jacob Craig.
The last few days of the trip were much better in the area of travel, as they had made it back to the “safe” side of the canyon. Smooth sailing along the roads, and they stopped in Idaho Springs for a memorable whitewater rafting trip down the Clear Creek. Even more hiking, two visits to Downtown Littleton, a sunrise and breakfast at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and a visit to Urban Air (a trampoline park with climbing, zip lines, and more) rounded out the last full day of their trip with some much-needed fun and stress relief.
The grand finale of their Colorado tour came in the form of another concert, this time at Grace Presbyterian Church in Littleton. The group chose to have a lengthy dress rehearsal followed by a concert that was well attended. Near the end of the performance, Dr. Craig had a special announcement for the students: the reveal of the location for their next international trip. A short video revealed SCOTLAND 2023 to the confused, shocked, and suddenly excited students while the audience gasped as a full pipe band in uniform marched into the sanctuary playing “Scotland the Brave”. The students were delighted and the event was the cherry on top of what turned out to be a very good trip after all of the last-minute changes and detours. Mr. James Connell, owner and operator of Sol Vista Violins in Lafayette, CO, (the shop where the group rented their larger instruments) had this to say of the performance: “I have heard orchestral groups in the same age group throughout Colorado and I have to say that I am very impressed. What a talented group of kids playing some very serious music! Their selections were amazing and they were very professional. My sincerest congratulations go to Dr. Jacob Craig for his work with them!”
The group returned to Vero Beach around 10:30pm on Saturday, August 7th. They are tired and ready for some rest, but very excited at the prospect of going to Scotland in 2023. Fundraising efforts are under way to help bring this group to the Land of the Brave, where preliminary plans include attending a weeklong residency full of masterclasses, lessons, and concerts at the world-renowned St. Mary’s Music School and Cathedral in Edinburgh, and hopefully a chance to attend a night of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. If you would like to donate toward this endeavor, please visit www.firstpresvero.org, and click on “giving”. Choose “all other gifts” in the dropdown, and type “Youth Orchestra” in the memo.
The FPC Orchestra performs during services on Sundays at First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal Palm Boulevard, Vero Beach. This group of talented high school and college-aged string musicians has performed and won awards in Orlando, traveled to South Africa, and now has a following in Colorado! During special local performances, the String Orchestra is joined by professional wind and percussion musicians from throughout the Treasure Coast.
For more information, please contact Ginger Lagemann, Music and Arts Administrator, at (772) 562-9088 or ginger@firstpresvero.org.
