From Friday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 17, Niles North Orchestra took a trip to Orlando, Florida, with an offer to perform at Disney Springs, a large outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment district at Walt Disney World. 

Every other year, Jennifer Page, the orchestra director, organizes a trip for the orchestra to perform at a venue. In 2023, the orchestra traveled to New York City to share its music with a wider audience.

The group performed in front of a vibrant crowd, featuring 5 pieces including Moana, Brave, and Hey Jude, on the morning of Valentine’s Day at Disney Springs, and spent the remainder of their trip exploring the Walt Disney World theme parks.

“I think it was pretty cool, we got to perform in front of a big crowd while having the experience of recreating Disney songs at a Disney workshop,” junior Tenzin Trinle said. “We visited all four parks and had a lot of fun. Shout out to Ms. Paige, couldn’t have been done without her.”

The orchestra visited all four of the theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. During their time, students enjoyed riding attractions, trying new foods, and creating lasting memories while bonding with friends. 

“My favorite memory at Disney was probably just like being there,” freshman Inioluwa Awolesi said. “If I had to choose one specific moment, I would probably say like when we were at Hollywood Studios like when we were leaving, we had to go watch the show and there’s just a bunch of characters and it was like it was just nostalgic and it was characters and it was like a water show and like Mickey came out, Aladdin came out, Tiana came out, all of them came out and like after we got back  to the hotel we like socialized, we had fun, we ordered food, and it was just really fun.”

Overall, the orchestra’s trip to Orlando was an unforgettable experience filled with music and fun. From performing Disney’s favorites to exploring the parks together, the trip created lasting memories for everyone involved.