This Trip Was Nothing Short of Spectacular

Before I begin this post, I want to attempt the impossible by thanking everyone who made this trip possible. I had such a fantastic time, and though I’ll try to do so, words cannot describe how great this trip was. Major thanks go out to Waddy Thompson, Jeff Grogan, Josh Wirt, Anthony Morris, our tour guide Seth, all the chaperones, and the rest of the symphony for making this trip truly special.

Emotions have been high since the last blog post. After the combined concert in Aberdeen’s Music Hall with the Amersfoort Youth Orchestra, I was so excited. I loved music so much after that concert because the energy and intensity was unreal. The fact that two seemingly unrelated orchestras could come together after one day of rehearsal and put on a show like that was really a testament to the power of music. Although the fact that all the awesome kids from the AYO spoke english made it easier to relate to them, the music and subsequent common interest made the experience surreal. A few of my friends and I helped the Dutch pack their things on Sunday morning before they left, and watched them depart on the (unfortunately) early 7:00 AM bus. I’m trying to avoid dramatization, but their departure legitimately brought tears to our eyes. And that is part of what made it so special. After only two days of knowing these kids (and phenomenal musicians), we fought heavy hearts to see them leave. It was magical.

Although the time and relationships with the Dutch were great in their own ways, the trip in general was just so much fun. I can’t emphasize that enough. It was fun. A perfect balance was struck between lots of sightseeing, socializing, rehearsing and music making, and relaxing. We saw the Stirling Castle, Dounes Castle (where the filming took place for the french scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and some parts of Game of Thrones), Perth, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and so many other places that I’ve never seen before. One of my favorite things about the trip was honestly just driving through the rural backroads and seeing so many farms with impressive mountains as backdrops accompanied by impressive lighting. I loved it.

I unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) had to leave the group early this morning so that I could meet up with my parents and embark on another week’s journey through other parts of the UK, and even leaving them 30 minutes before they left themselves was extremely sad for me. We successfully lived with each other for a week, and I personally got a much better feel for and relationship with people that I’ve never talked to before, and for that I cannot thank ISO enough. I’m not going ramble on too much, but the moral of the story is that I had such an amazing time and ISO really nailed it with this trip. That’s something that I will be able to carry with me forever, and for that I’m so grateful.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our trip, because I surely have loved being a part of it.

Thanks,
Aidan Landauer, Trumpet

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