FINE ARTS
10,000 MILES, SOUNDS, MEMORIES FROM SAINT PETER TO MALAYSIA
schools jamming to Stevie Wonder’s “I
AND SINGAPORE, WITH THE
Just Called to Say I Love You.” Another
GUSTAVUS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
highlight: the city of Ipoh, where three
AND JAZZ ENSEMBLES
ensembles made up of musicians from multiple generations joined together to
Exchanging music across cultures—
share music with the Gustie ensembles.
playing for each other, playing each
“When we finished “Star Wars”, the note
other’s music, playing together—is a
barely had a chance to ring before they
transformative experience for musicians.
started clapping and cheering,” says cellist
It was also a main goal of the 2020
Katelyn Yee ’20. “It’s a special feeling
international music tour.
to share something that transcends any
I was greeted by brightly lit food stalls
It happened in more ways than can be
language.” Yet another: an impromptu
filled with food that has been perfected
counted, but one perfect example: GSO
jam sesion using traditional instruments at
over generations,” says Tyler Del Main
and GJazz wind players became the first
the Penang House of Music.
’22. At the world’s tallest indoor waterfall
American college musicians to work
Beyond music and language, there
in Singapore, which laid bare the
was even more to share. Approximately
consequences of climate change, Tessa
Institution, the best public high school on
60 percent of Malaysians practice Islam,
Dethlefs ’21 approved of Singapore’s
the island of Singapore. It was a day filled
but Hinduism was at the forefront as
reputation as “the country of the future.”
with cross-cultural saxophone quartets,
Gusties conquered the steps to the Batu
“It values the futures of humans and
flute trios, and students from both
Caves. In Penang, “Everywhere I turned
irreplaceable ecosystems alike,” she says. In Malacca, says Grace Tobin, “We saw a lot of the colonial influences from the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. When
4. Malacca Made batik at a Kampong Village, explored Jonker Walk Night Market
1. Kuala Lumpur Ascended the Petronas Towers (tallest twin towers in the world), ate night market ice cream, met monkeys at Batu Caves
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2020
—Dave Stamps, director, Gustavus Jazz Studies
with students from the renowned Raffles
ON THE ROAD
24
It is quite the undertaking to move more than 70 people in tandem across a foreign landscape. But, we did it together, leaned on each other, and learned a lot of lessons about the human condition.
2. Penang Formed a jazz combo using traditional instruments at Penang House of Music, rode the funicular up Penang Hill, performed at Dewan Sri Penang 3. Ipoh Benefit concert, visited the cave Gua Tompurong, musical exchange with the all-ages Kinta Valley Symphonic Society
5. Singapore Laid in the grass and watched the evening Supertrees show at Gardensby-the-Bay, made music with students at the prestigious Raffles Institution, visited a soy sauce factory, performed at the Singapore Botanic Gardens
2 3
1
we walked a short distance to the night market, all influence of the past colonizers disappeared and we entered a world that was seemingly purely Malaysian.” It was so many worlds, seen and discovered through music.
COUNT IT OUT
27 hours in transit one way 30+ number of dignitaries and
ambassadors in attendance at the first concert in Kuala Lumpur
33
number of families contributing funds to make the trip a possibility for Gustie musicians
$35,000
4 5
amount of money raised for people in need during a benefit concert for Lighthouse Hope Society (an organization for those in need)
