If the BCB could go on tour, where should we go and why?

gordon

Pualanasn

@gordon
Okay...such a hard question!
There is so many places that I have been privileged to visited during my years in Teen Tour Band, and also with RHLI Regimental Band. So depending on location, here are my choices...

Within Ontario...
Loved performing at the Orillia Opera House, beautiful in the fall! A trip to Kingston would fun too...so much history!
Within Canada...
Would love to do the 1987 Nova Scotia tour again. Cape Breton was amazing, BTTB stayed in North Sydney and got visited Glace Bay.
Otherwise, a trip out West...I just missed the tour to Calgary and I would like to see Banff. I have family in Vancouver (a lot of my British relatives have been moving over there as late) so I would like to experience that too!
USA...
Okay...the annual March Break tour from my years marching under Don Allan, with a stopover in Dundalk, MD...BTTB's base for the 4th of July summer tour!! For those who need a reminder, We would travel to Williamsburg, VA for 2 days before heading off to Myrtle Beach, SC. Mr. Allan always brought his golf clubs...memories of practising on the beach (and getting sand in my runners!!). I looked forward to March break ever year....
2nd note: BTTB marched in 4 towns (Towson, Dundalk, Catonsville, and Baltimore) in Maryland (usually 3 parades on the first day, and one on following day), with a visit to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Great shopping and eating designation!
Love to visit both again!
International
I was privileged to visited Ireland in 1987 with BTTB where we marched in Dublin's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. We followed that performance with a trip of the Ring of Kerry. Kissing the Blarney stone was a highlight and going through the Waterford Crystal Factory is an amazing experience. Would love to go back as I could maybe sneak over to the UK and visit my family again.
The other trip I would like to make would be a WW2 visitation. Places I would like to see would be Dunkirk, Dieppe, Normandy in France and Amsterdam. This would be the trip of a lifetime!

Dannomyte

New Zealand. Go big or go home...

shewis

Band exchange with the Burlington Concert Band! Burlington, Vermont, that is. We are each community bands, we each play bandshell concerts - it would be awesome! Plus, in Vermont, the hills are alive with the sound of music! (you'll have to look it up). And of course, the most important thing about Vermont...

BEN & JERRY'S!!!

wendiudell

Disneyland! Because....it's Disneyland!! :smiling_face_with_heart-eyes:

Kamara

@gordon In my terms as President 2015-2017, I got an email notice about an spring / summer band festival that was happening in Hungary. If that opportunity ever comes up, it would be great if the BCB members can participate in such an event. I would plan to go on a river cruise on the Danube at the same time too.

lisa.yl

I think it would be great (and realistic) to do a local tour and visit other concert bands in Ontario, maybe do 2 other cities and have a joint performance of a few simple pieces.

If time and budget were not an issue, I think Japan would be an awesome cultural experience for our band - we could collaborate with some really neat instruments, like a Taiko drum group! Also I feel like we would be considered "interesting" as a foreign concert band over there. Also a beautiful and rich country in terms of history and natural sights. Plus....the food.....

shewis

@lisa-yl Do you know who has done some significant band work in Japan? Philip Sparke...

wjerome

Not really answering the question but some background info for those newer to the band. Several years ago we went on a "tour" and played a concert in Orillia in conjunction with their band. It was up and back in one day and even for that, dicey about fielding a complete band. Don Allan tried for years get a concert organized to play in Huntsville where if memory serves is played on a barge in the lake. Between organizing difficulties and putting together enough people in the middle of summer we never made it. (Not meaning to throw cold water on the idea of a tour though!)

Kamara

@wjerome I was still relatively new as a BCB member, and I remember when the Executive discussed and planned out for the band to perform out of city in the summer. I was so looking forward to going on that trip for the experience of playing on a platform / barge in the lake; not knowing that there was such a set-up! The trip was to Gravenhurst. Unfortunately it was that town that ended up cancelling out - if memory serves me well too - as the organizers could not adequately fund / sponsor the bus trip for BCB.