During the Coronavirus outbreak, many Spring Break trips were cancelled. The biggest one for the Riordan community was the band trip to Hawaii.

This spring break trip was supposed to happen April 13-18, but the Riordan Band announced that it will be postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. News of the trip’s cancellation disappointed many students, and especially the seniors who didn’t have an opportunity to go on the tour.

As the COVID-19 epidemic presents challenges, the Riordan band is seeking an alternative. The new date for the Hawaii Trip is tentatively in December, with the options being, Pearl Harbor Week or Christmas Break. Some seniors are considering going on the trip, but mostly during Christmas break.

While the trip still might happen, the cost will depend on the number of attendees. The band is still considering rescheduling the tour, but in order to do, this the same number of attendees must go. The more people who attend, the less the attendees will pay.

Once the date is chosen, the Riordan band will open the tour to incoming students and current students who may not have been able to go before. If the number drops far below than original number, the Hawaii trip may be cancelled.

Band Member, Henry Bensurto ‘20 said, “The fun thing about being in the band was going on the long distance trips with the band. I was lucky enough to go to London, my first time there, and with friends too, I had so much fun.”

Bensurto is currently a senior and pondered the possibility of attending the trip after he graduates.  Bensurto started band in his freshman year, in IME (Instrumental Music Ensemble).

He stated, “I am not sure that I’d want to go on the trip now, as I might not even be in that state. It’s unlikely, too as I don’t think I will know the new people who go on the trip.”

Band teacher and instructor, Kyle Hildebrant, said, “We obviously were not able to attend during the time-slot we originally intended, however the travel company we are working with, Bob Rogers Travel, has been great about the process of rescheduling the tour to a different time. The last thing we want to do at the moment is cancel the tour outright, but it could be done only if absolutely necessary.”

He added, “I believe the COVID-19 outbreak had already affected the band, even before regulations were put into place. For example, at the Chinese New Year Parade we had 39 students out of 100 missing due to various reasons, but the overall majority was because of the Coronavirus scare that was creeping into the news. This was back in the first week of February.”

He added, “For future band events if the regulations keep going, we may see less performances, concerts, and competitions next year. This is all up in the air until things start becoming more clear.”

Hildebrant became an instructor for the Riordan band in Fall 2014. This was the same year that the Band last went to Hawaii.