Rehearsals ready SSO for the music, the trip details and getting to know what to expect

Two separate rehearsals gathered much of the South Shore Orchestra China II group to ready them for their trip. Getting to know the orchestration and your fellow musicians is an important part of the teamwork it takes to get a project like this off the ground--literally. 
Troy Webdell reminded them that a month from this day they would be delivering their first concert. the group departs from O'Hare on Monday December 26 and will return on January 4th. Seven concerts in seven days! Quite a feat! 



 The first rehearsal was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, enabling some of the traveler musicians to be there. Besides a core group from SSO there are invited guests from Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo MI as well as from several Chicago suburbs, someone from Texas and even California too. It was held at Valparaiso High School which SSO was grateful to have the location to meet over the holiday break. 


 It began with a lengthy meeting informing them all of the details of passports, visas, travel arrangements, hotel accommodations, currency, food, itinerary details and the like. Pete and Kathleen Brannen who have made several trips--Kathleen as a musician and Pete as SSO Board President--were helpful answering the many questions raised by first time travelers to China. About twenty of this group had gone on the first concert tour two years ago, so they added their two cents too! 


 Natalie Mann and Sean Kroll, two of the five featured soloists, were there to appoint the music with their operatic splendor as well as master some of the Chinese lyrics. That rehearsal lasted until 6 PM immersing everyone there in the breadth and depth of the music being served up to our audiences half way round the world. 


 The second rehearsal was held December 17 at Ben Franklin Middle School--this one 9-3 as many of the musicians here that day have further musical engagements in the evening. Busy time for a musician! Some of the attendees were not at the first but made it to this one. Some who were at the first were not here today. A large Michigan contingent came in with the snow--their travel lengthened a bit by the conditions. More questions, more answers, more musical orchestration and refining of the sound. More excitement, more anticipation, more details.


 It's about to happen and the group is gearing up! This rehearsal ended at 3....so until 5:30 AM at a VU parking lot and bus ride for some, or meeting at the American terminal by 8ish for others, and even some a half day later in Shanghai--until we will all meet again and begin what becomes SSO CHINA II!