Recently, Lovejoy’s Orchestra took a group trip to London over winter break. The trip lasted a week long, and the group explored some of the coolest parts of the city.
“The trip was a really fun experience,” student of Orchestra, Jonathan Brunson, said. “It was my first time in London, and I got to experience a lot of their customs and see a lot of cool landmarks.”
The trip consisted of seeing Wicked in the west end of the city, as well as visiting iconic locations. The cool places included: Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Castle, Windsor Castle, Oxford, the London Tower, and seeing the Crown Jewels.
“In Oxford, we visited Christ Church,” director Martha Ball said. “It was beautiful. The paintings and history everywhere was just amazing.”
When being asked about the most special part of the trip, Ball mentioned the Lovejoy Orchestra’s performance in St John’s Smith Square.
“The Lovejoy Orchestra was stunningly beautiful; it was astounding,” Ball said. “Seeing them have the opportunity to perform in such a special place brought their hard work to life even more than usual.”
Effe Sutton a student of Lovejoy high school mentioned her favorite sight of the trip being seeing the London Guards.
“We watched the changing of the guards at the London tower,” student of Lovejoy Orchestra, Effe Sutton, said. “It was really cool.”
London was filled with new experiences and things to see. Students enjoyed the metro and the city was pedestrian friendly, making it the perfect place for the group trip.
“The planning that went into this trip was very well thought out and executed in advance,” Ball said. “We began planning this trip in August 2023 for a trip that would take place in December 2024.”
Large instruments were transported to London in advance by shipping on a freight steamer. This experience was planned far in advance to make the trip so special for the Orchestra members. The teachers that participated in planning this trip put so much love, care, and thought into it so that it could be a special memory for the Orchestra students.
“The London experience and the bonds made are definitely going to be something I will remember and cherish for a long time,” Sutton said. “My favorite part of the trip was definitely getting closer to the people in the program. I’m really glad we made that connection.”
