orchestra


Not Your Ordinary String Groups Molly Nordin, WMEA State Chair, Orchestra


One of the great- est ways a person can develop their mind, body and soul is to travel the world and experi- ence other cultures. Four al ternat ive string groups from


the United States were invited by League of Astonishing Strings (LAS), created by Dean Marshall and John Crozman, for a performance tour to China during June of 2013. These groups were able to experi- ence the life of a professional musician while taking in the sights and culture of China. They represented the United States well, completing the journey in Shanghai at the Oriental Arts Center to a sold out audience who absolutely adored the show!


The director of the theater said it was only the second time in his career that he saw an audience get into a show like they did with ours.


LAS Groups


The four groups who performed in six different cities throughout China were from Texas, Illinois and two from our very own Wisconsin! Each group had their own style, creating a terrific show. The Golden Strings from Tremper High School in Kenosha warmed up the audiences with a strolling strings approach surrounding the audiences while playing popular classics such as “Czardas” and the “Can, Can.” During two of their pieces they got down on their knees and sang to people, which the Chinese people thoroughly enjoyed! Revolution from Abilene, Texas was a


A FUNDRAISING CONTEST AT


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group of 10 upper strings and a cellist, equipped with wireless mics, accompanied by a back line. They dazzled the crowd with original Barrage fiddle tunes and blocking that featured their many soloists. Wire Choir from Chippewa Falls per- formed an entirely choreographed show of American pop tunes including “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Katy Perry’s “Fire- work.” During “Firework” the students switched to bows that had glow sticks attached, so when the lights went out, all that was seen was the movement of the bows – something the Chinese people loved. The final group from Naperville, IL, Allegro, is a private Suzuki studio. This show contained choreographed Barrage music. They used boxes for staging, and two Taekwondo students staged a fight in their show, at which the Chinese cheered energetically! The show culminated with all of the groups on stage together per- forming “China Song” and a fiddle tune called “More Cabbages.” During “China Song” there were several places where the students sang in Chinese, which the audience rapidly applauded. It meant so much to them that American students had learned something from their culture (a folk song and a little of the Chinese language).


Random Things We Learned


The Chinese people have a high regard for their culture, language and people. On the way to China, Wire Choir did a flash mob in the Seattle airport, and when we started singing in Chinese the airport immediately erupted into applause and they began singing along. The number of people that live in China is mind-boggling. Cities such as Ningbo and Xuzhou have seven and 10 million people living in them, respectively, and these are cities that most people don’t know. To deal with the continually growing population, single-family dwellings are being replaced with high-rise apartment buildings. Since most of the drivers on the road are first generation drivers, our students were


September 2013


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