"The hall in Beijing is wonderfully constructed. All of the professional musicians were awed by its sound. The audience was keenly attentive and expressed enthusiastic acceptance of the performance. It was a magnificent evening for students and adults."

Robert Albritton, Band Director

"This trip was the best I ever had. When people at home (US) ask me about China I cry, not because I was unhappy in China, but because I was extremely happy. I wanted to give people in China things that I own, but I realized the best gift they have from me is my music. It is the universal language. Even now, writing these comments, I can't even explain my true feelings because the experiences and events were too great for words."

Gwendolyn Kantor, Pioneer Student

Itinerary

April 13: International Flight to Beijing. Everyone is very excited for the tour, despite recent tensions between the US and China.

"If an American school ever gets the chance to visit China through the CACBC, never say no. Do fundraisers, have your community help out, anything to have this amazing experience. Our students from Pioneer High School had the best experience plus their performances were fantastic, as were all the Chinese performances."

Betty Smith, Pioneer Chaperone

April 14: We arrive in Beijing. The delegation is met by CACBC's China office and the Tianjin Cultural Committee at a Welcome Banquet. After the banquet, we watched a performance by the Chinese Acrobats.

"All the staff at the hotels were as nice and helpful as anyone could wish. The servers at all the restaurants were great."

Joe Koppin, Pioneer Student

"The Peking Duck was great and the tour guides were amazing! It was a great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Anton Sasmitammangala, Pioneer Student

April 15: We visit the Great Wall, one of our favorite sites, and the Ming Tombs.

"I loved the Great Wall! The view was superb and I enjoyed seeing so many people from every country in the world, climbing steadily upwards with one intent."

Kay Clifford,

Pioneer Chaperone

"It was powerful to stand on the Great wall and picture what went into the building of it, and to imagine all of the battles that took place there. It felt great to be part of such a different and rich culture."

Tom Bellen, Pioneer Student

April 16: We see the Forbidden City and Tiananmen's Square.

"Tian'anmen's Square was fantastic... standing somewhere where so much has happened to change an entire country." Tom Bellen, Pioneer Student

"I want to sincerely thank everyone at the CACBC. I have experienced the opportunity of a lifetime at the age of 16. I'll never forget it." Joe Koppin, Pioneer Student

April 17: The band travels to Tianjin. There we shop on Wenhua Street and perform in the Teacher's College to a packed audience.

"My proudest, most exciting moments were the concerts. The claps and cheers that seemed to never end showed us just a glimpse of what each audience member felt and grasped about each piece. To see the smiles and hear the sounds of the audience was the best gift of appreciation."

Gwendolyn Kantor, Pioneer Student

"My happiest moments were on stage when we shared the music we had worked hard on for months with the new friends we made in China. We had an amazing turnout for our concerts and the Chinese appreciated our music, even though it was so different from theirs."

Kelly Grucelski, Pioneer Student

April 18: We visit Xinhua High School for a cultural exchange. This evening is a shared performance at the Binhu Theater.

"I loved visiting the Chinese high school. I liked having split concerts and being able to watch the Chinese performers."

Emily Junck, Pioneer Student

"The most exciting moment was playing soccer at the high school. I learned so much on this trip and my eyes were opened to another world." Ashley Nies, Pioneer Student

"I loved listening to the Chinese performers play. I had never really heard Chinese music before, and it was very interesting. I didn't know what most of those instruments were!"

Michael Martin, Pioneer Student

April 19: We visit Ho Yuan Jia's house and tomb. Ho Yuan Jia is the most famous kung fu fighter in China. We watched a live kung fu demonstration at the Kung Fu Academy.

"I loved the kung fu show and the high school. The tour guides were awesome and I loved learning Chinese!" Ashley Nies, Pioneer Student

"The kung fu show was awesome. I will never forget what a great a time I had."

Katharine Eschman, Pioneer Student

"Nobody should be at all worried about traveling to China at this point. Everybody was very nice and friendly about everything. Nobody ever mentioned anything about a conflict between China and the US." Ann Brophy, Pioneer Student

April 20: Bus to Beijing and our best performance at the Beijing Century Theater.

"My proudest moment was after we got done doing our last concert, because I knew that this moment was what we had worked so hard towards, and I knew that all of our work paid off. This trip was something that I will remember forever." Courtney Collins, Pioneer Student

"Our students and adults were greatly enhanced by the experience of visiting China. I believe that this type of experience will nurture a beautiful, mutual understanding of two cultures which have been too long estranged."

Robert Albritton, Pioneer Band Director

April 21:We visit the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. There's still time for shopping in Beijing!

"The Summer Palace was beautiful and relaxing. But there were so many terrific experiences." Susan Custer, Pioneer Chaperone

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Going with the students and seeing them perform so well was an eternal thrill. My grateful thanks to all the organizers and particularly Qiu Min Ji and her husband for their wonderful effort which made this trip such a superb success." Kay Clifford, Pioneer Chaperone

April 22: Return Flight to US.

Our Mission - Director's Bio - Participants' Comments - Contact Us