Press+Release

Reynolds High Students Invited to Perform Tour in China
June 4, 2008 The **A.C. Reynolds High School Symphonic Winds and Chorale** have been invited to perform a 10-day tour of the People’s Republic of China. The students will represent their school, state and country as cultural-educational ambassadors. The invitation was extended by the United States-China Cultural and Educational Foundation, following the performance of the Symphonic Winds at the North Carolina State Concert Band Festival. Dr. David Romines, Associate Director of Bands at the University of Georgia, sits on the Board of Directors and serves as an educational advisor for the Foundation, and was one of the adjudicators for the Band at the Concert Festival. Dr. Romines and Dr. Song Yang, Vice Chairman of the China Cultural Foundation, came to Reynolds High a few weeks ago to observe the Band and Chorale and judge their suitability for the cultural exchange program. They met with school administrators to ask questions and gain information. The official invitation for the ensembles to perform came during the meeting. The tour will happen during Spring Break, **April 9 - 18, 2009** (please note: the dates may shift a little). The ensembles would perform four to six concerts in Beijing and surrounding cities, Tianjing and/or Jinan. All concerts would be “ticketed” events in schools, and other settings such as the Beijing Youth Arts Center and Beijing University. Tour destinations such as The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China would be included in the trip. “Usually, each year, we send two big groups to China,” said Dr. Yang. “In China, they don’t have a strong band system. Only Beijing has bands in the middle schools and high schools. The bands are wonderful here (in the United States) and I wanted to bring that to China.” The Reynolds Symphonic Winds and Chorale would be only the third group of high school age students to be invited by the foundation since its founding in 1996. The Dekalb (Ga.) Youth Symphony and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Atlanta have gone on previous trips, while the Kenmore Junior High Wind Ensemble (Washington) was chosen to perform in 2003. The focus and primary mission of the Foundation is to arrange cultural exchanges between the United States and China. The foundation, with assistance from Chinese cultural entities, will supplement the trip at a rate of $500 for each member making the trip, a figure estimated to be around $75,000. It is anticipated that the cost of the trip will not exceed $2,000 per student and includes domestic and international airfare, accommodations, local transportation, and meals. In addition, the Foundation will cover all costs associated with the visits to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.