Alice Hadley is a second-year undergraduate at Somerville reading French and Italian. She is also a talented saxophonist and a member of the Oxford University Wind Orchestra. Here, Alice tells us about her experiences and asks for our help…
“This December, Oxford University Wind Orchestra (OUWO) is going on tour to the East Coast of the USA. From the 3rd to the 13th of December we’ll be visiting several Ivy League universities and getting together to perform in concerts and share music with one another. One of the main hopes for this tour is to create long-lasting relationships with the bands we meet in the USA, which in the future would act as a template exchange programme by the Oxford University Music Society with participating universities. Perhaps more importantly, we’re hoping to demonstrate, through musical collaboration, the power world-leading universities have to act as beacons of international unity at a time of political unrest.
I joined OUWO last year, as a timid fresher attempting to continue music as a hobby outside academic work. Little did I know that rehearsals would become the highlight of my week. Not only does playing in OUWO give me a much needed break from studying, but it has also given me the opportunity to meet other students across the University. Every week we get together to rehearse, sessions which have become all the more fun now we’re working towards something so exciting. Many, like myself, have never had the chance to go on tour before so our upcoming trip to America is one which will undoubtedly be both enriching and memorable.
We’ve raised most of the money already thanks to donations from colleges and individual fundraising. This means the tour can definitely go ahead. However, we still have a small way to go before we’ll have reached our final target. Through the Somerville Crowdfunding platform we have raised over £7,000 of our £12,000 target to close this final funding gap. Reaching our final target will ensure that everyone within the orchestra will be able to afford to go on the tour. I never knew that I would be able to visit the USA, let alone with such an inspiring group of musicians all of whom I find myself continually learning from. Thanks to Somerville’s crowdfunding platform this is becoming possible. All donations OUWO receives are hugely appreciated.
Attending Oxford is something no student will ever forget, and I hope that when those of us in OUWO look back on 2017 we’ll have ten days of performing in the USA embedded in our memories.
To find out more, visit our crowdfunding page, and give us a ‘like’ on Facebook”. Thank you!