Tour - Cornell Orchestras

Our winter 2019 tour to Taipei, Taiwan
Highlights from our eleven-day tour include collaborating with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra; meeting local middle and high school ensembles; and exploring the sights, food, and culture of Taipei.

Below are some of our favorite experiences!
Rehearsing and performing alongside the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.
"I learned something new about the value of my musical education – how incredible it was, that the musicians we collaborated with often didn’t speak or read much English (and I spoke no Mandarin) and yet we could both read the same score."

-Elizabeth Finkel, '21
"I usually play with the CCO, a notably smaller group than our tour orchestra, and it was so much fun to play a symphony again. I missed the thrilling power of a large orchestra. And meeting players from a world away gave me a renewed love for my instrument and music in general."

-Michael Richardson, '21
Collaborating with students at Ching-Shin Middle School, Jianguo High School, Taipei First Girls’ High School, and Kuang Jen High School
"The outreach programs were such a success. I became friends with a few of the students, we played wonderfully, and it was such an amazing experience. I didn’t have to worry about the communication barrier; music is universal. I had always thought that was such a cliche thing to say, but I experienced it first hand on this trip. It didn’t matter who spoke what language; we all read the same music on the page."

-Hsin Huei Chen, '22
Exploring the sights, food, and culture of Taipei.
"Exploring the city with other members of the orchestra was incredible. From the staggering views of the city through a gondola window to the excitingly mundane adventures of navigating the subway system, there truly was never a dull moment."

-Stephen Sansoterra, '20
"I made both friends and memories that I never expected to in my last year, and I’m incredibly grateful to the orchestra for making this trip happen. I’ll never forget drinking tea in a small Jiufen teahouse, amidst the pouring rain, laughing along with new friends."

-Newton Ni, '19
"I ended up going home not only feeling incredibly closer to those existing friends, but to dozens of new friends as well. This tour helped me get to know my classmates in a way I never could have done otherwise. I now have a true appreciation for the immense talent, dedication, and diversity that lies within this group, as well as within the other music groups we encountered abroad."

-Hannah Faulwell, '22
Previous Orchestra Tours
The Cornell Orchestra tours both domestically and internationally. These tours provide an incredible opportunity for young musicians to see the world, perform in world-class venues, bond as a group, and form life-long friendships.

Recent tours include:
2008 Berlin, Germany
2010 New Orleans, LA
2012 Dublin, Ireland
2014 San Juan, Puerto Rico
2015 Dublin, Ireland
2016 Salt Lake City, UT (performance at the CODA National conference)
2017 Neuquen, Argentina
2019 Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan
Our winter 2019 tour to Taipei, Taiwan

Please support our GoFundMe campaign for our tour to Asia here
Argentina
Our tour to Argentina and our collaboration with the Neuquen Symphony Orchestra

Link to our performance with the Neuquen Symphony Orchestra
[part 1] & [part2]

Link to the orchestra newsletter

Featured article on Cornell Chronicle

Dublin, Ireland
Our 2015 tour to Ireland and our collaboration with the Royal Irish Academy of Music

Link to the orchestra newsletter

Link to T our Album

Salt Lake City, UT
Our 2016 tour to Salt Lake City, UT, when the chamber orchestra performed at the National conference for College Director's Association.

Link to performance

Puerto Rico
Our 2014 tour to Puerto Rico and our collaboration with the Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico

Link to the orchestra newsletter

Link to the flickr photo album