During spring break, from March 20 - March 25, the Penn Charter Upper School Performing Arts Department took our a capella group, the Quakers Dozen, and members of the Upper School Jazz Band (named Cali Jazz) to Los Angeles. A whopping 70 students, chaperones and tour directors attended the trip, which included opportunities for them to showcase their musical talent in the City of Angels. Quakers Dozen performed at City Walk at Universal Studios Hollywood, while Cali Jazz brought down the house at Anaheim Backlot Stage in Disneyland.
In addition to their performances, students took advantage of Los Angeles' rich performing arts history by visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Warner Bros Studios, the Grammy Museum, the Oscar Museum, Universal Studios Hollywood, the Hollywood Bowl and the Chinese Theatre. They also sampled the city's natural beauty, stopping by Santa Monica Pier, watching the sunset from Griffith Observatory and visiting the La Brea Tar Pits.
"Performing at Disney was something I have never imagined I would do and It allowed me to see into a whole different side of the performing arts," said sophomore Layla Joshi. "I began to view our band as something that has a place in a professional setting and it was a super cool experience. My favorite place that we visited was the Griffith observatory. The observatory was on the top of a hill so you could look down on all the city lights coming from downtown as well as the hills surrounding the area. The observatory also had very foreign looking architecture which was interesting to see in one of the most "American" cities. The observatory was also a fun place for my friends and I to take photos while the sun was setting and I loved the view."
Sophomore Hudson Torrisi added: "Performing at Disney was an exhilarating experience where I had the opportunity to bond with some band members I had never spoken with before. This was my first time visiting California, specifically LA, and it is beautiful. Our group was given so many outstanding tours, such as the Universal Studios tour, where we walked by the set/town of the notorious Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. The trip was a perfect balance of planned guidance, information, and free exploring. Overall, this trip was perfectly curated to the interests we all had, all of the tours were fascinating, all of the food was amazing, and the time I had was truly memorable."
"The students were exceptional throughout the trip," said Brad Ford, director of Upper School Bands and one of the group's chaperones. "They were noted as being of high character and respected by other schools and vendors throughout. It was a truly magical experience."
