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Beautiful Music in Berlin ARTS Eighty-seven students, 10 chaperones, six days and four concerts. This – plus five cases of laryngitis, three medical visits because of bronchitis and a number of translation glitches – was the whirlwind 2012 Band and Chorus trip to Berlin and its surroundings. "The idea behind these tours is not to just to go over there and play concerts but to collaborate with other schools, to play for them and to play with them." – Mike Teolis 10 Latin Magazine Filled with its share of organized chaos, this spring's trip also was an experience in wonderful musical collaboration with German school ensembles and a sharing of musical talents. It was an opportunity for Latin music students to put their best foot forward by showing adaptability and professionalism in fast-changing and sometimes less-than-ideal performance conditions. It offered students a chance to visit historical landmarks such as Sans Souci Palace, the Jewish Museum, the Berlin Wall and Sachsenhausen concentration camp and for them to get a glimpse of another culture by attending a German soccer game and strolling the famous Kurfürstendamm. Most of all, the trip was about sublime musical moments – Ben Manis' '12 memorable cello performance of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" at the Allied Museum, the rousing reaction of German audiences to a medley of Broadway and film favorites, the Chorus' rendition of "Louisiana 1927" led by director James Lunsford, and many others. "The idea behind these tours is not to just to go over there and play concerts but to collaborate with other schools, to play for them and to play with them," says Performing Arts Department Chair Michael Teolis, who led the trip with faculty member Ingrid Dorer Fitzpatrick. Over the last 12 years, Teolis has organized similar trips to England, Ireland, and Finland and Estonia, each time teaming up with local schools. This spring, the Band and Chorus worked with the musical programs at Georg Herwegh Gymnasium and Gabrielle von Bülow Oberschule, two high schools outside of Berlin.