As social media sites begin flooding with luxurious vacation pictures ranging from beautiful beaches in Aruba to the Golden Gate Bridge in California, SHS students may begin to see pictures from classmates in a rather unusual destination. This year, the SHS orchestra has been given special permission by the U.S. state department to travel to Cuba, becoming one of the first American high school music groups to enter the communist nation. NBC news reported in early February that North Shore High School on Long Island would also be sending their band to Cuba during the February break. Being that Cuba has yet to open up to tourism, the music department believed that now would be the perfect time to travel to the country and witness its vast culture. The SHS students have been granted a historic opportunity to witness what life has been like since the majority of influx of both physical items and cultures halted in the early 1960s. While students may be surprised to witness a world in which “vintage” cars are predominant and cellular data may be nonexistent, Cuba has built a unique cultural identity worth viewing.
The trip has been near impossible to plan, as it has been close to six years in the making and the trip itinerary appeared to be constantly changing in the week leading up to it. The paperwork needed from the U.S. government to travel took years to file and be approved. Only one flight to Cuba leaves New York every week, making the planning especially difficult. Just recently, SHS Orchestra Director Amédée Williams learned that their hotel had been overbooked and the group needed to change cities. Being that it is near impossible to rent instruments in Cuba, the school was forced to deal with the hassle of bringing its own instruments. “It’s almost impossible to rent a bass,” said Williams. He spoke about the difficulties of bringing the bass on a plane. “The bass was overweight by 20 pounds. We had to get special permission to take it down. The problem is bringing it back… I had the idea to find someone to donate the bass, so that we could take it down and leave it,” shared Williams. “After a lot of phone calls, I called Mr. Kolstein [owner of Kolstein Music, Inc.] down on Long Island and asked if he would be willing to sell us an inexpensive used bass. When I told him what it was for, he said that he was willing to donate a bass. Not only did he donate a bass, but he donated a bow, new strings, and a travel case—It was very generous.” The bass will be donated to the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Cuba, helping to add to their limited number of instruments. The schools’ cellos are being brought down to Cuba with heavy-duty “travel cases” rented from Mr. Kolstein. In previous years, plane rides have taken a toll on cellos and caused extensive damage ranging from tiny chips to sizeable cracks running the length of the instrument. The trip’s plans took another turn when the group discovered that Pope Francis was arriving in Cuba on the same day that the orchestra was scheduled to arrive.
Only hours before the group would have departed, orchestra students received word that Pope Francis would be meeting the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba for their first meeting since the split of the churches in 1054. It was decided late that Cuba would be the best meeting place for the two, as neither leader has influence in the isolated nation. Given the heightened security in Cuba with two major religious leaders entering their nation, the flight had to be rescheduled so that the students’ arrival did not interfere in any way with the Pope’s trip. Jet Blue, the airline providing the weekly flights to Cuba, called SHS and asked to reschedule their flight, giving an option of either leaving early in the morning or about 6 hours after their original flight time.
Although the trip began on a rocky start, the group will have a plethora of exciting visits in the days to come. On one day, the group will be traveling to a cigar factory to see what goes into making the famous Cuban cigars. The orchestra will also go to a tobacco farm. “Another thing is that we’re going to go to Hemingway’s house and see the boat that inspired “The Old Man and The Sea,”” shared Williams.
In this trip, students will get to be a part of a history larger than themselves as they bring their own bits of America into Cuba and in turn bring a tiny piece of the Cuban life back home. While orchestra students may be the only ones to view the culture of Cuba first-hand, this moment will remain an eternal part of SHS history.
William’s Letter To The School Regarding The Trip: http://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/Page/19972
By Emily Kopp