thank you!!!!

Hi everyone!

I really hoped you enjoyed reading this tour blog over the past week and that you’ve been hearing some great things about the ASTA tour from your musicians in Santiago Strings!  We all learned a ton about music, enjoyed the travelling experience, and had a lot of fun from beginning to end.  I hope your students feel the same! 

If you’re just tuning in or want to revisit all of the fun things we’ve done on our tour to Tampa, this webpage isn’t going anywhere!  Please feel free to scroll back and read it all over again.  In the upcoming week or so, we’ll be compiling photos taken by students, chaperones, and staff on tour with us.  Once everything is compiled, we will send you a weblink to a digital platform where you can access and download any of these photos. We'll also post the link here on this blog and on our facebook page!

I don't think I'll ever be able to say it enough, but THANK YOU to our amazing chaperones for helping out our staff and keeping all of their students safe and happy.  Bridget Bow, Bertha De La Torre, Kwei Peng, Kelly Chu, Hans Chi, Marianna Vrahnos - all of you are ROCK STARS and we are so appreciative of your time, energy, and fantastic sense of humor.  We enjoyed getting to know each one of you and experiencing this incredible journey alongside you!

Also a HUUUGE thank you to our Santiago Strings manager, Ms. Amanda Sansonetti, who has worked tirelessly on planning this tour from A to Z for the past year.  You've done an amazing job!  Also, thank you to Mr. Chris Kroesen, who is the best operations assistant, cello wrangler, and musical Renaissance man an orchestra could ever need.  And finally, the one-and-only Mrs. Irene Kroesen, who unifies Santiago Strings with her gracious leadership, passion for education, and love of music.  None of this would be possible without you.

I guess that’s it for me for a little while.  This very blog will be used later in the year for Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra’s tour to China, taking place from June 24-July 3, 2016.  If you had something you wanted to share with us – any questions, comments, feedback, or anything regarding the ASTA tour, please feel free to e-mail me directly at BStaav@PacificSymphony.org.  

On behalf of the PSYE staff and chaperones, thank you for tuning in and we hope that your child enjoyed this unforgettable tour to the American String Teachers Association conference in Tampa, Florida!

Musically yours,

Bella Staav