*Link to album of trip photos included at the bottom of the post FYI

It was a dark and stormy night when we arrived in D. C. I write this cliché partly because during the trip I discovered that there are quite a few student writers amongst the YAO crowd. But it was, dark and stormy, the rain coming down in thin sheets just heavy enough to cause a proper drenching over time but light enough to feel guilty about not going out at all. But we avoided the worse of the weather, what with a snowstorm coming in as we cleared out and therefore numerous parents’ flights were cancelled in and out of Reagan, but the planes kept coming in flying low over the Lincoln Memorial and over Arlington during the Wreath Laying Ceremony and I was anxious about the planes and it didn’t help that our erudite and wonderful tour guide Scott W. was an expert in all things aviation disasters and said look to the right you’ll see the Sheraton. “When one of the 9/11 planes crashed into the side of the Pentagon, hitting the ground first, it was coming so low that it blew the air conditioning units off the top of that hotel.” We looked on and I was glad we took the bus. GCYO will confidently bus over flying in no further than an 8 hour radius.

It was early, too early Saturday morning when the Holiday Bus was sitting, waiting for us. Mike it’s driver the epitome of professionalism. Jenga was played to get the instrument cases in and luckily there was another extra compartment for the harp and a few other instruments. Brandi was off down Wade Hampton picking up the Chick fila order so we wouldn’t have to stop at lunch (Special thanks to Kathy McKinney for donating to support our food purchases!). It was an uneventful and easy drive, stopping in Burlington to switch drivers from Mike to Tyler, a former school teacher now driver (because it pays better, he said).  Snow drifts had collected when we got into Virginia. Eleanor brought Sound of Music and we watched it.

The Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel was a welcome relief, then suddenly less welcome when Scott informed us that the rooms may not be ready, and then suddenly it was decided that indeed they were ready, but the students must store their large instruments in the rooms because there was no other space and that was with 4 to a room. Some of the chaperones nicely offered to take a harp and a bass (Brandi and Lizzie). It was a nice hotel, large rooms, beautiful views on the east side overlooking the Potomac. It was luxurious, posh. Breakfast was held on the convention center floor, floor 2 of 14 I believe (but there was no 13th floor). Coffee, tea, small glass jars of honey, boxes of cereal, pastries, hot breakfast from silver chafing dishes: waffles or pancakes, bacon or sausage, and those powdered eggs, skim milk, full fat milk, soy milk, decaf, etc. every morning. And then it was to the bus for the activity of the day.  That first evening we took dinner in historic Alexandria full of old houses, very expensive. Scott told us to note the shoulder-width alleys between the row houses, for without it one would have to walk around the entire block to access the backyard.

Our appreciation of the memorials perhaps grew because of Scott’s enthusiasm and commentary. We learned a lot and  I hope the student’s respect and love for the institutions of our country increased. Scott put a humanizing perspective on everything with his little stories, how the city was susceptible to human error. How the Washington Monument was left unfinished because there was no money to be spent on it. One can see that bit of history because of the varying colors of blocks in its construction. But when funds were secured it became the tallest structure in the world (usurped by the Eiffel Tower), an obelisk completed in 1884. It’s cornerstone was laid a year before Chopin died 1849. My favorite memorial was the newest: to the Air Force. We came away knowing that none of these needed to exist and that people cared enough to spend the time and money making them, that anyone could send in a design to be considered. On the way to the Kennedy Center, passing the Watergate buildings (now apartments, intimidating but also fascinating to look for its balcony ramparts), Scott informed us that only a few thousand dollars were raised, and it wasn’t until Kennedy’s assassination there came a pouring out of funds to finish it’s construction and when it opened Bernstein’s Mass was premiered and it was our nation’s culture center. It was a huge honor for our students to have the chance to perform there, for their parents to see them on that stage.

You’ll see Marie in those last few pics lugging her harp around, but it was such a nice instrument to have featured in the commissioned work. The Kennedy Center is massive. Our dear students had to help orient me in the vast underground space. At one point I led them the wrong direction in the netherworld and we passed a small cafeteria, rehearsal rooms after production rooms, offices, until we realized that instead of finding ourselves on top of the stage for our sound check we had instead arrived BELOW the stage. Of course the Kennedy Center is not just the Concert Hall. There’s an opera house and smaller theatres, all buildings within a building (to keep out the airport noise from Reagan directly across the Potomac) and a nice museum about Kennedy himself and his passion for the arts. When the time came for the performance I couldn’t have been prouder of our students and that they gave a world premiere of the commissioned work Schubert Refinished by Jon Grier. I think it was the favorite of the afternoon performances. A piece made possible by the kind support of Bernardine Atkins and GCYO President Jeff Gaines. They paid for this new, beautiful music for our students.

I would like to pause here and personally thank all of our supporters of the trip. Many private donations were give to GCYO for us to award student scholarship. These trips are expensive, but they are life changing. I could not be more thankful of our kind supporters. We also received support from the South Carolina Arts Commission. It’s sort of impossible to really understand all the good that donations do for our students, how every dollar is important and relished. That the trip was full of beautiful moments that were touching like our student James placing the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, none of this can be measured exactly, but if I had my suspicions revealed the word is always expensive. THANK YOU.

Now, I’ll share some other highlights. Wow, the trip to hear the Baltimore Symphony was interesting (who by the way is led by a former student of the Charleston County School of the Arts). We arrived at the Strathmore just before 3:00 PM for the Sunday concert.

As the concert went on as normal there was a strange flickering of lights. At intermission the Executive Director came out on stage to inform us that the generators were on but the high winds were causing havoc on the power. He promised the orchestra would go on playing as long as they could SEE.  Fortunately the lights stayed on and we were treated to an electrifying performance of the Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 by Enescu and were treated to the odd but enjoyable neo classical sound world of Stravinsky’s Symphony in C. I am not sure if the students quite realized the caliber of the performance and the conductor. Cristian Măcelaru just became conductor of the Cincinnati Orchestra. He is an up and coming name in the world. Students also enjoyed the Colonel’s master class. He was highly complimentary of the YAO students, praising their energy, offering constructive feedback and just being a positive force for good in an art form that is, but its nature, highly critical. We loved our final dinner at We the Pizza, and perhaps most fun of all was Game Night back at the hotel where a large group of students played MAFIA, and another bloodied their hands playing SPOONS.

And look even the chaperones had a bit of fun (Sorry Kathy and Lizzie, but here it is)

All in all it was a beautiful trip, an education, a time of bonding for our students, and most importantly we really brought the good manners, the excellent musicality of YAO to Washington. Thanks for reading. Shout out to the WhatsApp group chat. With your continual support another trip can be right around the corner.

-David Kiser

Executive Director

TRIP PHOTOS (PROFESSSIONAL ones are in here too)