Lafayette’s orchestra just returned from their Cincinnati trip Friday, March 23. They left after school Thursday the 22nd, for the long drive to the Cincinnati Zoo, where they would spend the night in the manatee exhibit, and take a nighttime tour of the zoo.

The orchestra arrived at Cincinnati Zoo Thursday, late in the afternoon. They took the walk to the manatee exhibit to unload their supplies and split up into their groups for the tour of the zoo. Afterward, they all met back up in the exhibit, later into the night, and got to meet some of the zoo’s little friends, a box tortoise and an armadillo.

They then had a snack and got to relax for a while before setting up for bed, splitting up the girls and the boys for the night. The students were allowed to bring their own single air mattress or a sleeping bag to sleep in.

The next morning, they all got ready for Friday’s activities, dressing in casual-formal attired for the concert they would attend in the late morning. They packed everything up into their suitcases and other bags then left for breakfast in the zoo. During breakfast, the zoo introduced the students to a cheetah. Though the students could not pet her, they were allowed for pictures, and could ask questions until the cheetah was ready to leave.

Once breakfast was over the students loaded their bus, and left for the concert of the Cincinnati Orchestra. They got to attend a music talk, where a player came onto the stage for about a half hour to talk about the history of the Opera House, and of Mozart and Strauss and how their pieces are performed and how they came to be. Afterward, the students took their assigned seats (according to tickets) to listen to the Orchestra perform Mozart’s Serenade No. 10 in B-flat Major, and Strauss’s Metamorphosen. The concert was very dramatic and beautifully played, often lulling the students to a sleepy state, but they all enjoyed it nonetheless. The concert itself did not bore the students, but was calming and relaxing and could ease people into a gentle and relaxed, as music does.

After the beautiful performance, the students walked a few blocks past the opera house to eat lunch and relax for a while before leaving once again for the art museum, the final destination of their Cincinnati trip.

At the Cincinnati Art Museum, the students were split up into 3 groups and taken on a short tour of the museum, going to see a few pieces of art, and listen to a classical piece that fits with the artwork. They were asked to describe the feelings the piece gave off after listening to the music and try to interpret what the artwork meant, giving them a wider view of what they were looking at. Afterward, the students split up into their own groups to look around the museum on their own, before meeting up again to leave back home to Lexington and sleep in their own beds.

The Cincinnati Trip was musical, artistic, and filled with animal friends, the students enjoyed themselves but were happy to return home to their beds.

To read more about the arts of Lafayette, check out the Arts section of the Lafayette Times website. Keep your eyes open for more articles in the near future.