TAKIN' EMERALD TO ISLE CANYON HIGH SCHOOL'S BAND TO MARCH IN DUBLIN.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer CANYON COUNTRY - When Canyon High School Canyon High School can refer to:
Seventy-five band students will leave Southern California on March 11 for a nine-day trip across Ireland, where they will perform concerts, compete in an international band competition and march in the St. Patrick's parade in Dublin. They will travel with 31 parent chaperons and three school representatives. ``It's always been my dream to go to Ireland as long as I can remember,'' said Brienne Walters, a junior who plays the trombone trombone [Ital.,=large trumpet], brass wind musical instrument of cylindrical bore, twice bent on itself, having a sliding section that lengthens or shortens it and thus regulates the pitch. The descendant of the sackbut, it was developed in the 15th cent. . ``I'm just so excited.'' The trip, orchestrated by the band director Randy Gilpin and a travel agent who is a former band director, has been in the works for nearly 18 months. ``This is an unprecedented trip for the William S. Hart District,'' said Gilpin, band director for 21 years. The band members' predecessors have traveled out of the state - for example, to Hawaii and Florida - but not out of the country. The students will pass St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, formally known as The National Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Patrick, Dublin or in the Irish language as Árd Eaglais Naomh Pádraig Castle and Trinity College and cross over a river in their march through the center of Dublin. More than 350,000 people, including half of Dublin's 500,000 population, are expected to be on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. March 17 to watch the parade, one of Ireland's major events. The local band was invited to march after Gilpin sent an audition tape. Along with other marching music, the band has been practicing Duke Ellington's ``It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing.'' Gilpin expects the Ellington piece to be a crowd pleaser. ``We wanted to do something American, something that would be upbeat and entertaining.'' The weekend after the parade, the band will be among 32 from England, Ireland, Asia, New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. and other parts of the United States competing in the Limerick International Band Festival. The festival is sponsored by the University of Limerick The university is located along the River Shannon, on a 200 acre (0.8 km²) site in the 600 acre (2.4 km²) National Technological Park at Plassey, 5 km from Limerick city centre. The university has currently in excess of 11,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,500 part-time students. . ``Our band is pretty good. We have no idea to expect,'' Gilpin said about the competition. ``This is all part of the educational experience. They will be able to hear the best bands from throughout the world.'' The students also will perform a standup stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. concert in Galway Town Square in Western Ireland. Walters is among Canyon High band members who are a bit nervous but thrilled about the trip. ``It's going to be a ton of fun,'' said Walters, a fan of Irish fairs and festivals. ``I'm Irish more by choice than by blood, but I've always been fascinated with the culture, especially the music,'' she said. ``It's very different from anything else I've heard.'' For many of the band members, this will be the first journey out of the United States. Each had to get a passport and raise $1,800 to pay for air fare and ground transportation, lodging, two meals a day and tickets to museums and other attractions. ``Getting to go there is like a dream come true,'' Walters said. ``I can't wait.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) The Canyon High band practices for its tour of Ireland The Tour of Ireland (known from 1985 to 1992 as the Nissan Classic) is a stage race held in August. The first race debuted in 1953 and ran until 1957. It was revived in 1965 and ran until 1985. In 1985 the 5 day Nissan International Classic took over as the Tour of Ireland. , where members will march in the Dublin parade on St. Patrick's Day and compete in a festival. (2 -- color) Randy Gilpin directs the band that will leave for Ireland on March 11. (3) Canyon High School tuba tuba (t  `bə) [Lat.,=trumpet], valved brass wind musical instrument of wide conical bore. player Pat Moore practices with the
band for a nine-day concert-parade tour of Ireland.
Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion