On Dec. 28, the Riordan Band arrived at SFO at 5:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time).  The plane left SFO at 9:00 pm, and we would not land at London Heathrow Airport until 15:00 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).  

Although the band was excited to be in London, we waited at customs for more than three hours.  Emilio Gorog ’20 said, “London was a good experience for me. It has always been my dream for me to see the world and this is just the first step for me to do that.”

When we got to the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, which was our hotel, the students got room keys and other essentials needed for London, including the Oyster Card (like a Clipper Card for the tube (for the underground subway), itinerary, and a map of London.  At the end of the day, everyone ate dinner at the hotel.

Every day, the band had breakfast at the hotel: eggs, sausages, pastries, and some fruit.  Students and chaperones got food vouchers, which were used for lunches and dinners during their free time.  Having fish and chips at a pub and afternoon tea at Covent Garden were the highlights of eating out.

Henry Matthew Bensurto ’20 said, “Besides the food being bland, the views were nice and tour guides were really happy to guide the band around London.”

In the morning, the band split up onto two tour buses, touring and learning the history of London.  We also toured multiple castles including Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Tower of London.  We watched the Changing of the Guard in front of Buckingham Palace.

There was also multiple audio tour walks that band members could do during their free time, including “Princes, Palaces and Power” and the “Harry Potter” audio walks.  If you want to see Big Ben, you should visit London in about three to five years because they are refurbishing the building.

On New Year’s Eve, there was a party for all the schools that stayed at the hotel.  The hotel served pizza and provided a DJ where students danced all night long. Supposedly, Big Ben rang 12, but we did not hear it.  Fireworks were fired from the London Eye and we saw some of them from the window of the hotel.

The New Year’s Day Parade was broadcasted on British TV channels, and also live streamed on YouTube.  During parade day, the band took a double-decker bus to the parade site, where we waited for hours in the freezing cold.  Luckily, students were provided a bagged lunch with sandwiches, fruit, and water. Chaperones got to sit on the grandstands where they waited patiently for their sons and daughters to march and perform before their eyes.  

Tomizo Callejas ’20 remarked, “London was really nice and was cold most of the time.  Marching in the New Year’s Day Parade was an amazing experience.”

The following day, the band performed our concert pieces at St. John’s Smith Square.  We played “Flourish for Winds,” “Anthem for Winds and Percussion,” and “Our Fighting Men.”  

Stillwater High School Philharmonic String Orchestra also performed that day.  

The band director, Kyle Hildebrant, stated, “The band did great.  We did not have the entire band there but the ones that did go performed really well and it was really exciting to perform for another world audience.  That in an it for itself is always really exciting thing to spread the love and passion we have for music to others. And that by far to me is probably the most important thing that we brought back from this.”

On the final day, the band went to Westminster Pier to board a cruise down the Thames River to Greenwich.  After the cruise, we went to visit the Royal Observatory, the oldest scientific institution in Britain. There, students got to stand on the Western and Eastern hemisphere at the same time.  

John Paul Jacinto, the band’s head drum major, described the trip as “A fantastic experience for the Riordan Band.  We went on many tours and got to go to Windsor Castle where Queen Elizabeth usually stays. It was really fun being in the parade and seeing thousands of people simile because of what we do.”

All in all, the band had a great time exploring and performing in London.  As mentioned multiple times by our band directors and inside all the papers that were given out, “Don’t forget your passport!”