Wind Ensemble in China

We not only climbed the Great Wall, but scaled musical walls, used chop sticks at the meals, performed side by side with Chinese musicians, performed for people of all cultures, and shopped till we dropped at the music stores. It was a blast! I knew we were in for a special trip when, without my direction, every single student waited at baggage claim to be see if their colleagues needed help. That "ensemble" was not only the musical mode of operation but personal integrity of each member as they travelled and performed together.

It's been very 'eye opening' to meet and hear many of the young musicians in the People’s Republic of China & Hong Kong. The good news is that the interest in a musical world is huge. Additionally, I have played on a china built trumpet and found it to be quite in-tune and free-playing for an instrument that only costs $ 200. That’s the good news. The bad news is the limited space available to practice is a common problem. Most urban areas of Asia use limited space very efficiently. This leaves very little tolerance for venues to practice a musical instrument.

I graduated college on May 17, 2008 and not 24 hours later I was on a 13 hour plane ride to China with the SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble. An amazing group of talented students, who by the end of the trip I was a little sick of, but at the same time couldn't have chose anyone else who I would've rather shared this experience with. There will be no way that in this blog I will be able to recap the entire trip because there will be moments that you simply not understand unless you were there (mosquito squatting with Dana... ;) ). So here are a few highlights --->

Wow, by far the greatest trip I have ever taken so far. I've really gotten to know so many more people, and gotten to see some things that are just breathtaking. The Great Wall of China was just fantastic (even though it did really mess up my ankles)! And Guanzhou, with it's ridiculous humidity, did have our one amazing day as rock stars; that was so cool! Well now the long flight back is over, and I'm sure all of us will have a trip that we can all look back and remember for years to come.

Fredonia brass students in GuangzhouGuangzhou TheaterDr. Paula Holcomb conducts at the Beijing ConservatoryHong Kong Music SchoolPearl River Boat TripStreet ShotCombined BandsCommon Street VendorWaiting for DinnerTemple Museum

An assortment of photos from Roderick MacDonald.
Airport ... waiting ...Beijing Conservatory RehearsalOlympic Stadium (Bird's Nest)Trumpet Masterclass with Beijing students

Well it is officially my last day in Guangzhou (guan-joe) and I have mixed feelings. I loved it here...everything was so beautiful and the people were so welcoming. All the concerts were like nothing I've ever, or will ever experiance again, and I can honestly say that I will never complain about our stage lights making me hot while I play ever again. The culture is beyond incredible and their history here is like no other.

So the past few days we've been working with some young bands in the area and I honestly have to say it's been one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. Today we worked with small groups of students playing our instrument and I've never seen kids (and peers) so eager and willing to learn! They asked questions and paid close attention to everything I said, even though I don't think they could understand too much, and it was so exciting when they started to understand and improve with the lesson being taught. I just wish the language barrier wasn't so hindering!

Today we had our second adventure in the amazing city of Guangzhou. Our tour guide was gratious enough to let us sleep in and not have to leave until 10:30 which was a definate bonus. Even when we did have to leave, it was for a short tour of the city and an instrument shop until 2:30 pm. Although I enjoyed Beijing I definately like Guangzhou better. The city is very beautiful, but there are a lot of area's that seem like total slums. We stopped at a lovely park/mall type of place.

Click the photos for a larger view.
Great Wall 1Great Wall 2John Roderick MacDonald, left, with Fredonia Trumpet Studio members on the Great Wall of China

To quote the Matchbox 20 song "Baby, Its 3AM and I must be lonely" would be very appropriate right now. Simply insert Jet Lagged for the world lonely and that is exactly what is going on. It is currently 3:43 (12 hours ahead of NY) in the morning and I am completely wide awake. After laying in bed for what seemed like an eternity, I figured it might be a good time to "Blog it up" and let the folks back in Fredonia (and my mother, if she can learn how to get the internet to work) how the trip over was and how things are progressing here in China.

This is the story about 3 men that left Fredonia, NY at 3 PM on Saturday, May 17th, 2008, and are now with the Fredonia Sate Wind Ensemble in China. Their names are Sam Gelfer, Matt Maher, and Dan Caruso. It all started as they drove off from Fredonia, taking a stop in Binghamton for an hour to rest/so Dan could exchange cars, and then continued off to Long Island. Their goal was simple: reach Newark, NJ by 9:10. In order to do this without making Sam's parents drive a long distance, they set out to travel from Long Island using the Railway Express to arrive at Penn Station, leaving at 3:45 AM.

So, I'm currently sitting in the dark of my Beijing Hotel room stinking of foreign aquatic street food listening to my iPod rethinking one of the best days I can remember having in a long, long time. My days in China so far have been absolutely amazing. I have seen things I never thought I would have the chance to see in my life and I suppose I owe it mostly to a twisted piece of brass, as odd as that sounds.

It's 11pm on Friday the 23rd. We just finished our concert at the South China University of Technology School of Music here in Guangzhou, China. We flew in from Beijing this morning. Only one or two lucky people were able to achieve internet access in Beijing (there was no wireless, and apparently Macs don't work so well here). Sitting in my hotel room now I was able to plug in and get online. Here's a synopsis of what's happened so far.

Photos from the Wind Ensemble's recent sightseeing adventures in China ...Forbidden CityForbidden City
Forbidden City
Forbidden City
Forbidden City