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The group will travel to Ireland over spring break and will consist of 71 students, families and UIA alumni. The students can see many places and exhibits as well as show themselves during the trip.
Photo courtesy of Professor Richard Heidel.
A concert band organized by the University of Iowa’s music department will travel to Ireland over spring break and tour various venues across the country. The group will spend two days in Galway, two days in Cork and two days in Dublin, where they will see the St Patrick’s Day parade on March 17.
The group consists of 71 students, alumni and parents who play their own instruments. Many of the students are not music majors but work on music in other ways at UIU.
Some of the students had traveled internationally before, while others had not.
“Ireland was a really good option for groups like us for international travel because it’s definitely foreign, and it feels foreign when you’re there,” said Richard Heidel, group director and organizer of the Tour of Ireland. “There’s also a comfort level because they’re English speakers, so students can work well in a foreign environment.”
When Heidel came to Iowa in 2008, he knew he wanted to organize international tours for UI musicians at UI, but was unable to do so at the time because of the flood. In 2018, he traveled to Ireland with a group of 56 musicians.
Heidel wants to continue the tradition of international travel every four years so that any student who wants to has the opportunity to go. However, the trip did not take place in 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He was able to plan the trip this year and invited alumni who missed the opportunity.
Hydel said the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland is a particularly different experience, because the parade is big and the troupes play different music. Last year, 400,000 people attended St Patrick’s Day events in Dublin.
“Groups from all over the world come to perform at that parade,” Heidel said. “The variety of music our students are exposed to will be unusual for most.”
Apart from the musical experience, Hydel mentions that the band will have the opportunity to visit many historical and cultural sites in Ireland, such as Galway and Blarney Castle in Dublin and Cork. These experiences aim to teach students how to explore foreign countries and better understand their cultures, Heidel said.
Ben Copeland is a sophomore trombone player who doesn’t expect to travel as far as he has for music when he first starts out. In the summer of 2022, he was part of an honors band that traveled to Vienna, and he says he’s always looking for opportunities to explore somewhere new — which is why he took part in the Ireland trip.
“It’s a great opportunity to bring us all together,” Copeland said.
Copeland said another exciting part of the trip will be the musical exchange. The UI Band presents a wide variety of music, including marching band performances, the Iowa Fight Song and other highlights of the band’s talents. The group will also witness a performance by the Cork Irish Band.
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“A lot of times, in different cultures, there are different ways of performing,” Copeland said. “I know they’re going to do things differently than we do.”
For some students, the trip is beneficial in more ways than one. Robert Thompson, a cinema major and trumpet player at UI, has been looking forward to traveling to Ireland his whole life. His family has Irish heritage, and they all went to Ireland, except for him and his brothers.
“I’m really looking forward to going to these places that my family has talked about so much,” Thompson said. “They all have hanging pictures.”
One of the pictures that sticks out in his mind is a picture of his grandmother in front of the restaurant where she worked in Dublin when she was a teenager. The restaurant is a stone’s throw from the hotel where the band is staying – something Thompson is especially excited about.
In addition to his family connection, Thompson said he’s excited to showcase and experience different genres of music, as well as the cultural experiences that come with being in a foreign country.
“I think it’s good to just talk to them and hear what they have to say,” Thompson said. “Music is familiar to many people.”
The band will return from Ireland on March 18 for a week full of culture and music.
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