On the Road with the Asian Youth Orchestra

Time has flown by. From Italy to France to Spain, then back in Italy. Onwards to Switzerland and Italy for the last time, then Germany. Now we are in Prague. We have loved Europe and Brussels will be our last destination after this. Just imagine, only 28 days ago we'd been so eager to try out authentic American hamburgers and cherry Coke in Washington, D.C. That was before our first concert al fresco at Wolf Trap in Virginia. Today, across the Atlantic, we are in the Czech Republic, savoring, in the rain its capital city's romantic charms, including its eclectic assortment of medieval gothic, gilded baroque, stylish art-nouveau, and minimalist cubic structures and buildings. At every turn of Prague's cobblestone street corners, too, from Charles Bridge to Prague Castle and the Old Town Square, one senses a Bohemian air of the melodies of Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana. Smetana Hall Municipal House  Smetana Hall, named after the composer,

From Berlin, we're headed on the bus to Prague, where we will perform our second-last concert of our 2017 World Tour. The bus ride is short in comparison to others we have had, only about four hours. To make it even better, we learned we would be stopping over in Dresden, which is located near the border with the Czech Republic and is the capital city and, after Leipzig, the second-largest city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is "one of the greenest cities in Europe," with more than 60 percent being forest or green areas -- parks, sanctuaries and nature habitats. Dresden stretches out some 30 kilometers on both banks of the Elbe River. Surrounded by mountains, it is a beautiful city with many bridges and historic buildings. These buildings in the old town area were rebuilt beautifully after World War II, given that the city core was heavily bombed by air raids.  It's beauty and history makes it one of the most visited cities in Germany with

The Young Euro Classic is another well-known music festival in Europe. Held in Berlin annually each summer, it is an event that brings together "tomorrow's musicians" from the best youth orchestras from all corners of the world, based on the belief that shared experiences are invaluable as is the sharing of differences. Its special focus for its 18th season this year is 20th-century music and violin concertos. Our concert at the festival tonight was held at the Konzerthaus Berlin, a neo-classical hall on the Gendarmenmarkt which is a square in the city's central district. It is the home of the resident orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin. As is Japan's Tokyo Opera City where the AYO performed almost four weeks ago, this German concert hall is considered acoustically to be in the world's top ten best musical venues. Because today's performance was to be filmed and streamed live for people all over the world to see, we all made sure those

All in all, our bus ride from Lucerne across the Swiss border to Italy's Bolzano took seven hours. From here, we made our way to Merano, passing through sprawling vineyards that extended all the way into town. Located at the entrance of the Passeier Valley in northern Italy and surrounded by mountains, it was made famous as a South Tyrolian resort of healing baths and gardens by Austrian aristocrats starting in the late 1980s. Here, the majority of the population speaks German. Our goal here is to take part in the town's summer highlight, the Merano Music Festival. The Festival, held annually, features diversity with music and artists from around the world. This summer it will be held for the 32nd time. Our hall tonight is the town's symbolic Kurhaus, an ornate building featuring a portico, a porch supported by columns, that leads to the entrance. Allegorical statues decorate the structure's art nouveau facade. The original west wing was built in 1874. At

Lucerne, on a beautiful lakeside with a view of Mt. Piatus and the Swiss Alps, is a city that enjoys a long tradition of culture and music. Each summer culminates with the hosting of the famous Lucerne Festival. The Festival has its origins back in Triebechen’s “Concert de Gala” at the gardens of Richard Wagner’s villa. The concert back then in 1938 was conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who formed an orchestra with members of different orchestras and soloists from around Europe. It is the sentiment that the Lucerne Festival keeps very much intact today. Through August and September each year, it celebrates classical music, featuring resident ensembles and star soloists alongside guest performances of the likes of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. A hundred or so music events are held at the Culture and Congress Centre (KKL) located on the shore of Lake Lucerne. So, imagine how honoured we were that the Asian Youth Orchestra, too, held a place at this world-

Up, up, and up. Our bus ride of endless swaying uphill along the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast finally ended at Ravello Belvedere of Villa Rufolo, our destination in Italy. What unfolded before our eyes was magical: a stage built out from the glorious mountains over the glistening waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The Belvedere looks out over a jaw-dropping panorama. the stage, built out over the sea, is re-constructed each year for the festivities. So eager we were to rush out and climb up the stairs to the stage where the AYO would perform tonight. We wanted to check and see for real how this stage was set, jutting out as if an overhang with the sea right below and around us. We were both awestruck and thrilled! Then suddenly a concern set in as time for acoustic rehearsals approached. The sun was high above us, pouring sunlight directly on the stage. When exposed to heat and humidity, an instrument’s wood expands and the glue that binds its seams can melt, res