North Tama duo headed to Europe in July

Local high school musicians Ben Panfil and Sara Young, seniors at North Tama High School, will tour Europe with the Iowa Ambassadors of Music (IAM) July 3-18, 2016. Panfil plays the saxophone and Young plays the flute and piccolo. Both were nominated for the group by Channing Halstead, North Tama Band Director.

These local students are part of a select group of 350 student musicians. advisors and parents from across Iowa. The 2016 tour is a 20-day event that includes four days of rehearsal in Grinnell, Iowa, with a farewell concert at Grinnell College's Darby Gymnasium on July 2 at 7 p.m. The Ambassadors then have a 16-day concert tour covering England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austric, Italy and Liechtenstein. The students will perform in each country except Liechtenstein.

Iowa Ambassadors of Music tours Europe on alternate years. To be considered for membership in IAM, students must be recommended by their music teachers as having superior music skills and possessing high character. After this initial recommendation, the students are contacted about the opportunity to participate in the tour. This year, the students perform in either the 200-member band or 150-member choir on the tour.

Article Photos

Sara Young, John Phillip Sousa Award winner, and Ben Panfil, Director's Award winner with NT Band Director Channing Halstead.

Being a member of the Iowa Ambassador of Music tour means that through performance, the students participate in a sharing of cultures. Most tourists visit and take from their experiences - the Iowa Ambassadors of Music also give. One of the highlights from past tours has been when the students realize the USA's national march, the "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa, is a well-known and popular march in Europe. The choir's opportunity to perform its selections in settings with over a 1,000-year heritage gives the students a chance to add a new page in the cultural venue of Europe.

Dr. Morgan Jones, Professor Emeritus from the University of Iowa, and Dr. William Carson, Director of Bans at Coe College, conduct the Iowa Ambassadors of Music band, and Dr. Lee Nelson, of Wartburg College, conducts the choir. Thirty-five Iowa music teachers/musicians will assist in the musical preparation of the ensembles. The music teachers instruct the students during the rehearsals in Grinnell, perform in the ensembles next to the students, and serve as advisors on the tour.

The 2016 European tour is IAM's fifteenth trip. Since the group was established in 1988, over 5,000 student musicians have delighted European audiences with their performances as Iowa Ambassadors of Music.

Source: North Tama duo headed to Europe in July