Recently I was invited to perform in with the talented Bradley Chorale during their spring break tour. It began with the esteemed Dr. John Jost e-mailing be asking if I would like to accompany the chorale on a tour to Florida over spring break. It took me all of three seconds to consider this grand proposition. It had been a long time since I have been to Florida. It had been even longer since I had been far out of the state of Illinois. I told him definitely and the rest is history.
This tour brought together virtually a quorum of Sinfonians. The tour included seven concerts in six different cities and in five different states. The members performing included Mitch Colgan, Aaron Ganschow, Sven Merrill, Harry Williams, Matthew Adams-Wenger, Carl Bobis, Peter Bobis, Jeremy Gray, David Schwartz, Matthew Fuger, alumnus Daniel Fuertges, and finally my self, Kevin Moletti.
The tour began playing in a beautiful Episcopal cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky. The wide open sanctuary spoiled us and made us sound wonderful. After a semi-restful night with our home stays, we were on the road again to play at the Second- Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. The sanctuary, though not as large, was beautiful in its own right. Everything looked clean and new with white paint. Unique to this church was the balcony that extended around three sides in front of the altar. The split choirs ended up performing facing each other above Dr. Jost. Highlights of this city included seeing Elton John's apartment, the governor's mansion, and the Olympic torch.
The next stop on the tour was the sunny skies and warm air of Largo, Florida. We performed inside a fellowship hall for a banquet for Bradley Alumni. There we met up with a few Sinfonians including Mike Rebholz, who can sing amazingly low notes. After the performance, we were driven to local inn where we relaxed poolside. Highlights of this stay included pool 500, late night fun in Carl's room, and watching Daniel Fuertges take a nose dive into the deceptively deep and dark median while crossing a highway.
Our final stop in Florida was perhaps the finest. While in Venice, Florida we did it all. We performed during mass and at a separate chorale concert at the Epiphany Cathedral. This church was perhaps the largest venue we performed at, where we performed for over 2,000 residents. After our concerts, we had the night free to party. My best friend's grandparents, whom I had visited years earlier, to my surprise turned out to be Matt Fuger's and my home stays. They gave us the royal treatment, including all you can eat snow crabs at the Salt Water Cafe, money for our trip, laundry service, and great company. Other home stays were amazing also. Carl, Dave, Mitch, Jeremy, Sven, and Aaron's home stay had a huge house complete with a spiral staircase, which kept Aaron amused for some time.
The next day we all headed to Manasota Beach, which is located just south of Venice. This proved to be one of the most exiting times of the tour. It was six hours of intense waves, sun bathing, and sand castles. For the record, it is most advisable to remove one's glasses before going close to the ocean. A certain member of PMA was so excited to be at the beach that he jumped into ocean with his hat and glasses still on. Unfortunately, a large wave caught him off guard, took him under, and ripped his glasses off his face forever. This member, to salvage what dignity I...err, he may have, will remain nameless. Other highlights of the day at the beach include Peter getting pummeled by large waves and Sven suffering the worst blistering sunburn that many have ever seen. Matt Fuger was also completely encased with sand, along with a few other chorale members, when Carl Bobis's enormous sand castle-to-be ended. Alumnus Daniel Fuertges also enjoyed himself getting rocked by waves while body bordering. With a massive storm heading in from the Gulf, we decided to leave. As we pulled away, the sky grew dark and unleashed a fury of rain, wind, and lighting. The night ended with everyone gather at a local establishment called Sharkey's. There we danced the night away to a great Key West folk musician, who insisted we sing to the bar before we left.
We spent the next day at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. They had just opened the new Incredible Hulk ride. This is the one ride that is worth an hour and forty minute wait. With so many twists and turns even Dr. Jost enjoyed himself. Other rides included the Jurassic Park boat ride that ended in a tidal wave, the Dueling Dragons, and Spiderman. The award for the greatest souvenir goes to Matthew Adams-Wenger for his $50+ Incredible Hulk baseball jersey.
After our two days of fun, it was back to work. We next played at the Forest Hills United Methodist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, which is seconds away from Nashville. Our performance went off without a hitch, as most did. Nashville turned out to be the best city for landmarks. Our home stays took us to see many celebrities' houses including Alan Jackson's 25,000 square foot home with a 32 car garage, Dolly Parton, the lead singer from Steppenwolf, one of the famous Judd women, and the Tennessee Titans quarterback, tight end, tackle, head coach, and place kicker who blew the game winning field goal in the big post season game. There were many more, but we just didn't have that kind of time.
The next day we were on the road again for another ten hours. This time we were going home, however. In the end, we traveled over 2,800 miles in eight days. The spring tour was long, tiring, and exhausting, but in the end well worth it. The Sinfonians who went stuck together and enjoyed many good times together. Whether it be eating at Pizza Hut, talking on the bus, or even bullying a brother into taking his first rollercoaster ride, our bond of brotherhood grew stronger. As fun as the trip to Florida was, getting to know my brothers better made the trip that more memorable and valuable.