Tour Report
What a time we had. Thirty-eight current students with 40 alumni, faculty and friends completed a wonderful tour of England and Wales this past June and July. A total of 78 travelers flew from LAX on June 21 and embarked on a 12-day tour filled with wonderful concerts and sightseeing.
We landed at Heathrow Airport and drove immediately to Bath, England, where on the next day, we toured the Roman Baths and sang a performance in the exquisite Bath Abbey. A surprise member of the audience was Linda Halisky, former dean of the College of Liberal Arts. From Bath, the tour proceeded to Wales with stops in Cardiff, as well as the seaside communities of Swansea, Aberystwyth and Llandudno. Concerts were performed in the Great Hall of Caerphilly Castle and in Prichard-Jones Hall at Bangor University. Besides Caerphilly, the group thoroughly explored several other castles including those in Cardiff and Conwy. From Llandudno, we headed back to England for concerts at Coventry Cathedral and a final concert at St. George the Martyr Church in London (Southwark). We were happy and surprised to see colleagues Tim Barnes and Jan Duffy in the audience. Side trips to Snowdonia National Park, Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s home), and a bus tour of London completed our wonderful journey.
Thank you to all who participated on this tour. The music making was fabulous, and it was a joy to be with each and every one of you. Susan and I so enjoyed getting to know family members of our students. Being with this group of students and faculty again reinforced our thankfulness for being a part of the Cal Poly family for 34 years. We look forward to seeing you all at future Cal Poly events and concerts. Onward and upward!
Thank You
Susan and I cannot begin to adequately express our thanks to all of you who were able to be a part of our incredible final concert. Current students, alumni, faculty, friends and family … you all made this a spectacular day that will forever live on with us. Thank you for your numerous messages and gifts. We were so proud to be on stage making music with so many gifted musicians. And the final “tribute” was such an astounding gift! We were especially honored that new Choral Director Scott Glysson was able to take time in his busy schedule to be a part of this day.
To our students past and present: Thank you for the incredible memories. Our favorite times at Cal Poly will always be the time spent with you in rehearsals, performances, tours and more.
To Terry Spiller, Alyson McLamore, Meredith Brammeier, Paul Rinzler, Greg Barata, Craig Russell, David Arrivée, Andy McMahan and India D'Avignon: thank you for being wonderful colleagues, but more than that, friends. To Jacalyn Kreitzer, Katherine Arthur and Paul Woodring: thank you for giving so much to the choral/vocal program. To Michele Abba, Druci Reese and Benjamin Reveley: you are the best. You always made me (Tom) look better than I had any right to look! We look forward to being in the audience for many upcoming events!
With deep affection and thankfulness to all,
Tom and Susan Davies
Photos from the concert can be viewed online.