Symphonic Band's "Down Under" Tour

by Richard Hotoke, Director

It was another rainy day on Oahu when we left for our week-long adventure to Sydney, Australia. Little did we know that the weather in Sydney would be a lot better than what Oahu would experience that week. Our 94-member party included 64 musicians, 5 dancers, another 20 family members and 6 chaperones.

After a ten hour flight, security check, and a short ride to our hotel, we unpacked, ate at the hotel, and finally went to bed. The next morning, we awoke to our daily full buffet in the hotel's dining room, and were escorted downtown for one of our many shopping trips.

Sydney is a big city! It has 4 million inhabitants, and covers 650 square miles (about the size of London). Like many large metropolitan areas, people there move quickly, though not at the same pace as New York or London. Australians have still managed to keep some of their laid-back character, and small town feel even in the heart of the city. It's also a very pedestrian-friendly city, as we never had to catch a cab or bus, and found it easier to simply walk to our destinations. The mass transit that many of us caught, besides our motor coaches, was the monorail, and even then, it was more to see the sights rather than to reach a certain destination.

After getting our first real feel of the city, we got ready for our performance at  Killara High School, just north of the city. Killara is a public high school, and we were surprised at a few of the differences in their education system. Their school day starts at 8:45 am, and ends at 3:00 pm, and they meet only 4 periods a day, somewhat like our extended period schedule. Band is not offered as a course, but is an extra-curricular activity, meeting once a week after school for 2 hours. All of the band students are required to take private lessons. The school curriculum includes general music, but all performing groups meet voluntarily after school hours. All students wear a school uniform with their school colors. The Killara girls wore green plaid dresses, and the boys wore green shorts and white polo shirts with the school emblem on the pocket.

We arrived at the school after their classes ended and got to listen to a performance by their band, followed by a short program by our group. The band even had a chance to rehearse a piece together with the Killara band, led by their band director. He appeared to have so much fun rehearsing the group, someone had to let him know that dinner was waiting. We had a "barbie" outside, where the students got to mingle and socialize with each other. Because of a fortunate set of circumstances, we were able to return their hospitality exactly one week later, when their band visited our campus on their Hawaii tour. It's too bad our weather was not as accommodating as theirs was. Although we did encounter a few showers during the week, we got a lot of sunshine, and the temperature was in the mid 70's most of the time.

The next few days were spent at a leisurely pace, but we were able to catch most of the popular tourist attractions, which included the Sydney Harbor ferry cruise, city bus tour, Sydney Aquarium, Bondi Beach, and the Taronga Zoo. Some of us also opted for the Sydney Bridge climb, which took us all the way to the top of the bridge, while others took a tour out to the Blue Mountains or the Koala Park.

The biggest memory we will all take with us, was the performance at the famed Sydney Opera House. We fortunately had an hour to rehearse in the hall, and from the moment we stepped into the building, we knew we were about to experience something very special. To stand on the stage of the concert hall and look around was an awesome experience. To actually perform on that stage was indescribable. During rehearsal, we all began to mentally prepare ourselves for the best concert we could produce.

The performance that night was a proud moment for all of us. The musicians and dancers performed beautifully, with loud and enthusiastic applause throughout the entire program. We ended with the strains of "Aloha 'Oe" and left the stage to prolonged applause and cheers from the audience. The dressing room afterwards was a raucous scene with high fives and hugging all around! We floated back to the buses, knowing that we had done our best, and wowed our audience.

Our week ended with a fabulous nine-course Chinese dinner at a restaurant not far from our hotel. The next morning it was time to pack, followed by more shopping and picking up a few more gifts. We dreaded the thought of more security checks, customs, and the long flight home, but were anxious to share our memories, experiences, and multitude of things we bought for ourselves, families, and friends back home.

Reflecting back on our week, the chaperones and I would probably agree that the best thing about the trip was not necessarily the things we saw, bought, or the concerts we played. Rather, it was the camaraderie of the entire group, and the way our students behaved and carried themselves throughout our entire stay in Australia. They were true ambassadors of Iolani and of our state.