Park High’s band teacher Garrett Stannard has nominated two Park High students to travel around Europe to perform their instruments. These two nominees are Isla Vermillion and Brinley Halland. Isla will be focussing on clarinet and Brinley will be performing percussion. Stannard nominated these two students because “These students are a part of Northern Ambassadors, they work hard, they are very coachable, they play really good music, and they have grown a lot in the last year.”
The Northern Ambassadors have been around for over 50 years. They give “an unparalleled opportunity to explore the best of Europe, including the birthplace of classical music itself,” according to their website, giving the students an adventure “like no other.” Overall they will be traveling to six different countries in Europe bringing the cost to around $14,000, which is to be paid out of pocket. Brinley and Isla will be in Europe for about three weeks, exploring new venues and making irreplaceable memories.
The last time that Park High students had this opportunity was in 2013. A lot of the time spent in Europe will be about sight seeing and experiencing new things, making it so that they only will be performing five different shows throughout the trip. There will be over 400 students attending and that consists of choir, jazz, concert, and orchestra bands. All of these 400 kids were pulled from both Montana and North Dakota.
Isla and Brinley will start their trip off with a three to four day stay at North Dakota State University meeting the group and getting ready for a very timely trip. They plan to leave on June 17 and arrive back home on July 3. “I am pretty excited,” said Isla Vermillion. “ I am really looking forward to trying new foods and going shopping. I am also excited to meet new people from around Montana and North Dakota.”
In preparation they just attended their “first Montana rehearsal on May 19 hosted at Gallatin High School in Bozeman Montana,” said Halland.