Ohio University’s Marching 110 is going to Paris in 2016 and will perform at Disney Land Paris, the beaches of Normandy and at the Eiffel Tower.
Playing at the foot of the Eiffel Tower is about to be a reality rather than a dream for Ohio University’s Marching 110.
Richard Suk, director of the group, announced at the Marching 110 Band Banquet on Sunday that the band is setting out on another European tour in May of 2016. The group will travel to France for 10 days.
“Our primary performance places are the Eiffel Tower, Normandy where we’ll do some kind of patriotic music on the beaches of Normandy, and Disney Land Paris,” said Josh Boyer, assistant director of the Marching 110.
“I’ve never traveled internationally so to do it for the first time with the 110 is awesome,” said Krista Cominsky, a sophomore studying restaurant, hotel and tourism.
The Marching 110 adopted their current musical style in 1967, which means the 2015 school year for the 110 will mark their 50th anniversary. The trip to Paris is a way to kick off the celebration, Boyer said.
In order to have as many people going as possible, the 110 is partnering with the university’s study abroad office in order to make the trip more affordable. Students planning on going on the trip will take a three-credit-hour course and the tuition used to pay for that class will go toward the trip, Boyer said. This is estimated to cut projected costs from roughly $2,450 to about $1,500 per student.
“One of our biggest things with this (trip) is we want to represent the university and the band as the band,” Boyer said. “Often when bands take these trips, it’ll be 50 or 60 kids out of 300. We want enough to go to make the group look like the Marching 110.”
Boyer said he is looking forward to providing the students with a great experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.
When the announcement was made, the room was filled with screaming, clapping and hysterical laughing from excitement, Cominsky said.
“I am most excited to see the beaches of Normandy because we’re going to play a little bit there,” said David Fehn, a junior studying management and strategic leadership and management information systems. “That is such a big moment in history, and I’m excited to go get to see that.”
The Paris trip also includes an optional underground train to London for a day of sightseeing, Boyer said.
The trip is open to all members of the 110’s 2015 band, family and alumni, Boyer said. A few alumni typically join the 110 on the trips, which is a way for them to continue being connected to the band after graduating.
“It’s always an experience for them to watch the band perform,” Boyer said.
In May of 2013, the band traveled to Ireland and Italy. That trip was more complicated logistically because of traveling form country to country. This trip will be simpler due to the group staying in one country, Fehn said.
“It was not too long ago the 110 went on another European trip so we’re definitely very fortunate to be able to do that,” said Brandon Cassill, a sophomore studying music education.
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This article was modified in order to reflect that costs per student for the trip are currently projected costs, and are not definite.
