Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: An Adventurous Day with yet Another Successful Performance!

By Denise Sturrock, PSYO Parent & 2016 Tour Blogger

and Desiree Sturrock, age 12, Assistant tour blogger and emoji editor 

Before I go into too much detail regarding today's events, let me start by complimenting parents on the wonderful job you've done raising these kids. Today was a major travel day. We started early in the morning, everyone had to listen carefully and follow directions exactly, conditions for communication were challenging (often we had to take directions in loud, crowded locations - like the train station), and our cellos and low brass instruments arrived a little late (long story but suffice to say it all worked out). Despite these travel and logistical challenges, the kids were wonderful - always following directions, maintaining their good moods and manners, going with the flow, then arriving to the venue and going straight into rehearsal (they really had to muster their energy and they did it!). It's truly a pleasure to observe their professionalism and poise first hand! Thank you for all you do as parents to instill these characteristics and thank you especially to all PSYO members for your exemplary behavior. 

Now for the details...starting with yet another surprise from the PSYO staff. Unbeknownst to all tour participants, a crew from Hollywood joined us today for filming of the remake of the Steve Martin/John Candy comedy classic, Planes (well not really, but it felt like it), Trains  (665 miles traveled), and Automobiles  (actually busses - 1 hour to the Beijing train station, 2 from the Shanghai train station to Wuzhen and 2 back again)...I don't even want to think about total overall mileage...

Unfortunately, none of us are SAG  members, so despite the potential for 90 minutes of silver screen fame, the contract negotiations for payment of PSYO members as extras must have been a struggle. Maybe if we had unpacked the instruments and played during the train trip (5 long, I mean, glorious hours) empty cases would have been filled with donations and our efforts to put a new spin on this beloved and classic movie would have been monetarily rewarded. Perhaps next time...

On the train, a few "fun?" facts...

- there was a temporary misplaced passport scare, but that's all it was - a temporary scare...phew...

- vegetarians scored today with Subway sandwiches - the carnivores received mystery meat sandwiches that also include a layer of hard-boiled egg and sliced cucumber (hmmm...Chinese interpretation of a club sandwich?)

- Overhead train bin space was plentiful - I'm sure the 100% PAC pass rate among PSYO members also contributed to this

- Motion sickness issues were non-existent as far as I could tell (well maybe I was the only one feeling a little green around the gills), which compels me to comment on the aftermath of all this travel in one day...

After reaching terra firma in Wuzhen, I'm certain many of us suffered from that weird feeling you get when you get off a moving vehicle after many hours and you feel like you're still moving. What a blast! Hopefully the hotel room won't spin as we fall asleep tonight! Dramamine anyone? Or on a more optimistic note, perhaps this is just good conditioning for all the roller coaster-type rides at Shanghai Disney tomorrow. 

Anyhow, after a quick rehearsal, we traveled by golf cart from the performance venue to dinner and had another fabulous banquet-style meal (every time we eat, I feel like I'm going to a cousin's wedding banquet!). 

The culmination of our day was certainly the concert! The Grand Theater at Wuzhen was a gorgeous venue. We had a sold out crowd - packed with families that brought children of all ages. After introductions (translation by our own Danielle who gave the remarks in Chinese - again Chinese school pays off in a big way!), we were treated to an amazing performance, and once again, PSYO's show was outstanding. I'm in awe of the fact that after such a long, strenuous travel day they were able to play with such grace, musicality, passion, and exuberance (and with a sense of humor - not naming sections, but sunglasses  were again donned for the encore and another section had coordinating Flintstone-style hairdos, actually think of Pebbles. LOL!!!) But overall, there is no doubt that they are true ambassadors of music! This audience was clearly very appreciative of the performance - they gave the kids a standing ovation! I even heard some guests humming the imperial march as they exited the venue. What a treat for everyone present to be a part of this. Parents, be proud of these amazing young performers, they are truly something special. 

A Little Rain Won't Stop Us from Climbing the Great Wall of China!

By Denise Sturrock, PSYO parent & 2016 Tour Blogger

and  Desiree Sturrock, Age 12, Assistant Tour Blogger and Editor with the amazing bonus multiple choice PAT question and emoji's😇😏

So before I launch into today's dispatch, I need to circle back to a surprise event from last night. As we rode back to the hotel, a flurry of messages started coming from chaperone central - all having to do with travel logistics 📲📩📃. Initial communications indicated a change in packing plans to allow for a more seamless trip to Shanghai. But...as you can imagine, communicating a change in plans, a challenge in any organization, was particularly difficult following such a super-charged performance. However, I was totally impressed with how PSYO staff handled things 👍. Knowing how tuned in your kids are to standardized test-taking, PSYO staff administered the PAT, also known as the Packing Aptitude Test ✍🏼. This test was given in 2 parts after we returned to the hotel. Sadly, the adults had to take it too (let TEST ANXIETY ensue!!!) 😱😰😥. I initially panicked, because I did not have a number 2 lead pencil, but thankfully I located one in our hotel room ✏. We were told that a score of 100% was required to pass, that multiple tests would not be given (sorry, no super score option 😫), no subject tests were available to make a participant seem more appealing (e.g., specifics of toiletry management, juxtaposition of clean and dirty clothes), and that scores below 100% would bar travelers from participation in future tours 😳. In short, no pressure 😁! So the first part was multiple choice and to give you a sense of the academic rigor of this test, here is a sample question...

For a 5 hour train trip from Beijing to Shanghai, there is no overhead bin luggage space, nor is there an option to check large bags or instruments. You cannot pack anything from your suitcase other than a change of clothes, your concert attire and music, basic toiletries and pajamas. It's 11pm and you are exhausted after playing a brilliant concert at the Forbidden City Concert Hall. What must you do in order to be prepared for this trip?

A. Ask your parent to pack for you because they are a chaperone or shadow tour participant.

B. Follow PSYO staff instructions to the letter and don't make any mistakes.

C. Pool all the Chinese yuan you and your roommates have and hire room service to pack for you.

D. Throw everything you own in a room service laundry bag and attach that extra luggage tag your mom sent along. Hope for the best that your belongings make it intact.

E. Don't pack, just go to bed because you're exhausted. Buy all new clothes when you get to Shanghai and pay for it with that Visa card your parents gave you for the trip.

Answer: B

The second part was an essay question. Here is the prompt...

Provide a cogent argument either in support of or against the merits of packing monochromatically with the intent to mix and match all clothes or for pre-defining individual outfits for each day of your trip.

Thankfully a bonus question was included and if you could answer this one correctly, you were guaranteed continued tour participation, regardless of your overall score. Here it is...

The color/design of Kelsey Uydea's (PSYO Manager) suitcase is:

A. Blue

B. Navy blue

C. Periwinkle with a hint of orange/yellow

D. Marvel comic motif

E. No

Answer: D

You'll all be happy to know that thanks to the bonus question option, we all passed the PAT and will now be admitted (early decision) to the future PSYO tour of our choice. Phew...that was so stressful...

Ok so on to today's adventures...starting with Tiananmen Square followed by the Great Wall of China...

At Tiananmen Square the crowds were massive - not surprising! We had time to stop and walk the square, which was enough for taking in amazing views of the Tiananmen Gate (a large oil painting of chairman Mao adorns the center entrance), Mao's tomb, a massive government building, and the National Museum of China. I was particularly struck by the long line to view Mao's tomb - it seemed to stretch 1/2 way around the square. PSYO had plenty of leg-stretching opportunity walking this expansive space (I also heard some members singing our performance repertoire - music seems to exude from these kids at times - future pacific youth chorale?). All this morning walking was probably a good warm-up for the challenges of the Great Wall. Apparently, it can be quite strenuous, depending on your walking/hiking/climbing strategy.

A little history of the Great Wall - actually no - I'm going to leave this one for Google or Wikipedia - why? Because it's soooooo long (literally and historically). Construction commenced about 2800 years ago by multiple clans, but the sections (over 300 miles long in total) were never fully joined together except for one section (during the Ming Dynasty). Anyhow, this is enough history, what's more important is an explanation of our experience. Most important to know is that the weather figured prominently. As we arrived at the visitor center, it was drizzling slightly - no big deal - nothing a little windbreaker and travel umbrella can't withstand. After picking up tickets and running the gauntlet of Great Wall souvenir proprietors (they literally shout at you as you walk by in their efforts to get you to strike a bargain and make a purchase), we boarded another bus that took us to a sky tram for access to the top of the wall. All the while, slight drizzle was becoming light rain. Still, we remained undaunted. It's the Great Wall for goodness sakes! It’s one of the 7 wonders of the world! We've traveled over 6000 miles for this! Rain will not deter us! We are PSYO - we are young, strong and talented, and we aren't going to melt or turn into gremlins if we get wet...well, maybe most of us won't. I also had my hidden agenda - the family holiday card photo op - and a mother on a holiday card photo mission is not to be deterred. Apparently none of our PSYO members were easily deterred either. Maybe they were all secretly working on holiday card photos for their moms 😉. 

By the time our Great Wall free time was in full swing, everyone was hiking (this is actually not an adequate description for what it takes to get around up there - steps are sometimes more than a foot high, the slope of staircases are quite steep, and sometimes the path is more like a ramp that you almost have to brace yourself against as you descend) to and from the watch towers, taking group photos and selfies, and generally refusing to let the now continuous downpour (well, sometimes it eased up a little) spoil this unbelievably amazing opportunity. Overall; however, I think the weather actually made the experience more special - the views, though limited, were more shrouded and mysterious. The crowds were minimal - locals probably elected to stay home and try it another day. People from many nations huddled quietly in the watch towers to take shelter when the rain was really coming down hard. I even came across two PSYO members - again, I will refrain from revealing what section they are from - who elected to go au natural with their foot wear and keep their shoes dry by holding them under their rain jackets. Excellent! Another PSYO member I ran into covered his shoes with plastic bags. Genius! Honestly, I think the weather made it better. The experience was great! Truly! And for those of you who are wondering if I did manage to get that holiday card photo op, the answer is YES! Of course, it's not the quintessential national geographic-style Great Wall photo you might imagine (seriously, I can barely get my kids to pose and smile for any picture💃🏻🙅🏻), but it's our Great Wall moment, and that's good enough.

The bus trip back was uneventful until nature called. You know that terrible feeling when you have to go so bad, you're sure your bladder will explode if you wait any longer - it's the worst! This problem was brewing unbeknownst to the adults. But suddenly a conversation erupted in Chinese between Emily and our tour guide. The topic was clearly intense and urgent, but much giggling was interspersed throughout - mostly from other PSYO members who clearly understand Mandarin. Suddenly, our bus pulled over and the clueless adults realized that Emily needed a potty break. The whole bus erupted in laughter and greeted her with applause upon return. So to Emily's parents - be proud - all that Chinese school 🀄 paid off. She used her language skills with confidence and achieved her objective. Way to go Emily! Props to you! Danielle was her bathroom buddy🚽for this stop, and she later remarked of the experience of using the public squat potties, "I'll get a bladder infection before using one of those." But the saga continued as traffic delays to the restaurant caused continued bladder issues. Another unplanned stop was made, but this time at the Westin hotel. No squat potties - hooray! Plenty of toilet paper - yes! Motion activated faucets with plenty of soap - bonus! Maddie had the quotable quote at this stop, "I could feel the exact location of my bladder in my body🙊".

The drowned rats💦- I mean PSYO -  finally made it to dinner with empty bladders and enjoyed the best Peking duck 🐥 ever! Perfectly cooked thinly sliced duck - delicate pancakes - savory plum sauce - julienned green onions - it was PERFECT and so TASTY! Whoever chose this restaurant - major kudos to you! I think we are all forever spoiled for Peking duck now! Good thing the only thing left to do for today is go to sleep. It should come easy now that we're all in a Peking duck-induced food coma. Perfect start to the next phase of our trip - were off to Shanghai by train bright and early tomorrow morning and the group has their next performance tomorrow evening. It's sure to be even more amazing than yesterday's!

Thanks so much for reading and we look forward to providing you with tomorrow's installment of PSYO China Tour 2016!

First Performance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall

By Denise Sturrock, PSYO parent
and Desiree Sturrock, Age 12, assistant tour blogger and editor with the amazing bumper jokes and emoji's 😂

☯🎶❣🏮🗺🎼🐲☀️✈️🚲🍣
Greetings from Day 3 of the PSYO China tour!We haven't had to put on any surgical masks for pollution yet! Lucky us... 😷🚫. We are slowly recovering from the ill-effects of jet lag. This morning, after a buffet breakfast (🍚🍥🍲🍜) at our hotel, we toured the grounds of the Temple of Heaven. I know you can all easily look up facts and history of the Temple of Heaven on Wikipedia, but we can't because it's restricted in China 😒. Also, we all know how reliable Wikipedia is, but in the interest of remaining as fact-based as possible, allow me to quote the actual signage from the interpretive center...
"The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the largest round ancient building that exists in China, which adopts Chinese traditional wood construction technique. The luxuriant hall is really majestic in height and of great magnificence. The numerical logic contained in the Hall happen to be identical with the time concept of Chinese lunar calendar, which reflects the astronomical thoughts and construction perception of ancient Chinese people, and suggests the Hall is a perfect combination of etiquette and the art of space-time in the buildings. It is a traditional holy hall where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties held the ceremonies of worshiping heaven and praying for bumper harvests during every first lunar month. The Hall stands for Chinese ancients' beautiful bumper grain harvests and their pursuit of happiness in life. It is a landmark building symbolizing Chinese splendid history and culture."

Mom, you can thank me (assistant blogger, Desiree) for typing all of that... 😒. It was a bumper amount of typing.

True to these words, the complex is amazingly beautiful. It is full of intricate architectural details and Chinese symbolism. The colors are vivid and represent heaven (blue🔵), the people (green✅) and earth (yellow🔶). The architecture of the temple is also symbolic, built with pillars representing the four seasons, 12 months of the year and 24 hours in a day. The details are everywhere you look, and it's truly astounding to think that this structure has survived since 1420.

As we exited the grounds, we walked through an area where the custom of match-making is alive and well. Think of Match.com - off the grid. People display written descriptions of their sons or daughters and if you're interested, you can inquire for further information. At this point in reading this blog, you should now be humming "matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match..." in your head. 👫 😍

After leaving the grounds, we traveled by bus 🚌 to an "early" lunch, which actually ended up being an on-time lunch because of Beijing traffic 🚗🚙🚌🚲. It's Monday in Beijing and I am convinced that the plural, "rush hours," is a more appropriate way to characterize the traffic situation. It was 11:30 am when I wrote this and we crept along at a rate of about 5mph with frequent stops to adjust for merging, pedestrians🏃, scooters, municipal busses🚌, taxis🚕 and cyclists🚲. Much to our horror, people seem to consider obeying the rules of the road as optional. Pedestrians cross traffic when they're not supposed to and the cars\bikes have many near misses with them and each other. Still, navigating the streets of Beijing from the safety and comfort of an air-conditioned tour bus feels like the optimal way to travel and is much appreciated. I may actually stop complaining about the 405 now...maybe...

After another delicious lunch banquet (the food is excellent), PSYO did a quick pit stop at the hotel and headed over to the Forbidden City Concert Hall for rehearsal, dinner and their first performance of the tour! The hotel lobby was buzzing with excitement and anticipation as we gathered and prepared to board our buses. As I watched the performers and their instruments load, I was especially impressed with cello logistics. It's not easy to manage a cello on tour (I know this from personal experience!), but the PSYO staff, local tour guides and chaperones made it look easy. Our borrowed cello cases look like military containers. In fact, if we were attacked, we could probably just crawl into them for safety. Fortunately, our only potential enemies on this trip were the airline baggage handlers! Even more fortunately, those who came into contact with PSYO cellos managed to treat all instruments with TLC. Clearly, our prayers to the cello transportation gods were answered!

After a "relatively" quick bus trip (it actually took an hour and a half, but it was great other than the general fatigue and need for a bathroom 😁) to the Forbidden City Concert Hall, we arrived but were unable to enter the gate because buses were not allowed access. So, while waiting for further instructions, a woman suddenly collapsed at the guard gate and required medical attention🚓🚑🚨. Then (yes this really happened next) came inclement weather - cue foreboding thunder and lightning ⚡️ followed by a torrential downpour ⚡☔⚡☔. And get this - seriously, I am not making this up - just as we received approval to drive through the Forbidden City in order to easily access the concert hall, the rain stopped⛅️☀️. Apparently the Forbidden City is not forbidden to PSYO!!! It was VIP access. Huge props to Dr. Kalia for maintaining his cool and a buoyantly optimistic attitude through all of this. We made it to rehearsal a little late and a little wet☔️, but it went well. Everyone worked VERY hard for nearly 3 hours straight! When they finished everyone took a break for dinner (noodles and dumplings catered on site). After dinner, PSYO got their game faces and their concert formal wear on and prepared to perform. 

And did they ever perform...wow is an understatement!!! Our kids and their conductor knocked it out of the park! You could feel the intensity of their effort and the connection they made with the audience throughout the hall. Bow hairs were flying - and at one point (first encore) I was almost sure Darth Vader was going to make an entrance (young children around us were so excited). PSYO's musicality was truly brilliant and the audience clearly appreciated the musical selections and their talent. Two standing ovations and two encores. Oh, and I'm not going to name any sections or names, but I think I saw some sunglasses appear on the faces of some musicians for the encores - what a crack up! The crowd was firmly planted in their seats until the very end. Clearly, the many hours of lessons, practice, rehearsals and previous performances paid off in the biggest way. I think I can speak on behalf of all parents and staff present when I say that I'm truly in awe of what our kids do as a group. We can all be so proud of them...as musicians in their own right, as members of PSYO, as representatives of our country, and ambassadors of music..the language we all understand.

Thanks so much for reading and we look forward to providing you with tomorrow's installment of PSYO China Tour 2016!

First Adventures in Beijing

By Bella Staav, Director of Youth Ensembles

Today, we completed two very fun (and HOT!) days of sightseeing. Yesterday, we flew into Shanghai airport very early in the morning (about 6am), ate some breakfast and headed straight to the Forbidden City in the center of Beijing. 

Forbidden City is a vast place filled with lots of history, cultural significance and people! Our group walked for about 2 hours in Forbidden City and saw visitors and tourists from all over the world. Though we were exhausted from our travel, we still managed to have a great time and take many photos:

After our visit to Forbidden City, we went to the Silk Market in Beijing, which was like a 6-story mall selling basically anything you can imagine! From silk scarves, to knock-off brand purses, fake Rolex watches, to traditional trinkets, this place was full of excited visitors bargaining for a good price to purchase things to remember their visit by. 

In the afternoon, we were finally able to check into our hotel after what felt like a long day of sightseeing and freshen up. We had about 2 hours to relax and shower before meeting in our hotel lobby for dinner. Our hotel (Traders Hotel by Shangri-La) is a beautiful place to stay that is in the heart of Beijing’s Financial District and no shower ever felt so good! After we enjoyed a traditional Chinese dinner, all of us were more than ready to go to bed and quickly turned in for the night. Day 1 of PSYO China Tour 2016 was a success!

This morning, we were all rested and ready for the day ahead. The energy of our group shifted from exhausted travelers to excited tourists as we boarded our three buses headed for the Summer Palace. In ancient times, the Summer Palace was home to the Emperor and was a constructed to replicate China’s most beautiful natural scenery from around the country. The summer palace was a nice contrast to what we saw yesterday at Forbidden City as it featured beautiful trees, green rolling hills, colorful pagodas and a huge man-made lake meant to resemble Hangzhou’s West Lake. Our group walked through the Summer Palace for an hour and half in the morning before it got too hot and crowded. We even rode in dragon boats across the lake, which is where our buses met us to take us to lunch.

Each of our meals in China so far has been a fun experience. Meals are all served family style, where various entrees are served on the table and passed around using a lazy-Susan. Some dishes are more unusual than others and some PSYO musicians are more adventurous than others.

After lunch, we visited a teahouse where we were shown a traditional tea ceremony and got to sample different kinds of teas. This was really fun because we really got to experience the sights, smells and tastes of a culture that values its traditions like tea very strongly. Plus, we were able to stay indoors and partake in this unique activity while avoiding the hottest part of the day (it was over 100 degrees today at about 2pm). After the tea ceremony, PSYO was able to peruse the tea gift shop and purchase a few souvenirs before our buses headed to the hotel.

Once we got the hotel, we had about an hour to freshen up and practice before we headed to the National Centre for the Performing Arts. At the Centre, we were given a brief tour of the “egg’s” beautiful interior before watching a performance of a traditional Chinese group. This concert was incredibly interesting because it was made up of entirely Chinese instruments. The first half of the concert was mainly chamber groups, but the second half was a full orchestra made up of Chinese instruments – erhus, pipas, hammer dulcimers, and different types of wooden flutes and reed instruments. 

The concert ended at about 10pm, which felt very late for our group since we are still recovering from jetlag. But we made it back to the hotel and are excited to go to sleep after another long day. Tomorrow is our first concert, which takes place at Forbidden City Concert Hall at 7:30pm. Can’t wait to tell you all about it!

No oversized luggage fees except for the TUBA! All students and instruments have safely arrived in China!

By Eileen Jeanette, VP of Artistic and Orchestra Operations 

Staff members take a selfie while waiting to board.

Deb and I met at LAX and sat at the airport restaurant chatting until about 8:50.  The Air China gate was supposed to open at 9 but it was 9:30 before they opened.  By then there was quite a line of people.  It was organized chaos as most things in China (in my experience). The buses left the office at 9pm on the dot and they were were barreling to LAX at a fast pace, but then they hit snaggy traffic and didn't arrive until 10:20pm.  I was actually grateful as it meant Deb and I had a chance to figure out our game plan.  We met the buses, got them unloaded and got the kids in line.
The only tricky thing was all of the instruments that we had.  The cellos, horns, some trombones were declared "oversized" so we had to drag them to another part of the terminal for delivery while our suitcases were piled onto luggage carts.  It took quite a while to get all 116 through.  The patron tour folks went through a different line so they were super fast.  They wouldn't allow us to request specific seat assignments so that

was a bit nerve-wracking, but ultimately everyone ended up where they needed to be because people just claimed seats on the plane.  There was one moment where one young woman was told she had to put her violin under the plane.  Deb stood her ground so we ultimately took it with us.  It didn't seem like they were used to having so many instruments at one time, but I was grateful it worked out.  The biggest blessing is that we weren't charge oversized luggage fees except for the tuba.  That cost us $110.  :-). They assured us that TSA wouldn't inspect the instruments and we had to trust that was true and let them go without being able to hand-walk them through to the gate.

We waited in a long security line and everyone was chatting, a bit tired, and hungry.  We got through everything and arrived at our gate at about 11:40pm.  We allowed the kids some freedom and announced a 12:30 meeting time to be back at the gate.  Most people went to find food or just sat around at the gate.  We boarded the plane at 1:10am and took off on time At 1:40.

They gave us each a small pillow and blanket and the cabin was quite warm so anything more than a t-shirt was unnecessary.  They fed us "lunch" at around 3am. After a while they came around selling cartons of cigarettes to people who wanted them.  I learned, after the fact, that the sales were for people to take advantage of the duty free pricing since we were in international air space.  Also, cigarettes are expensive in China so people like that they are cheaper and load up on planes.  There was a second meal served closer to our landing and we could tell more students were chatting by then, anxious to get off the plane and stretch their legs after the 13 hour flight.

Once we did get off the plane, we began the crazy process of going through customs and collecting all of our stuff from baggage claim. It was pretty intense, but in the end we hadn't lost any luggage or any students so we considered our day a success.  The kids seem super excited to be on this trip! 

After we checked into the hotel, we headed straight to The Forbidden City! More pictures and blog posts to come soon!

The Forbidden City

GET READY, PSYO!

We're going to China in just 20 days! 

Direct your family and friends to psyeblog.blogspot.com to follow PSYO's adventures in China from home.

PS: Scroll below to check out Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings' tour to Tampa, Florida just 3 months ago. We had such a great time!