OC Trip to Italy
Orpheus Club is Associate Members' Passport to a World of Music
By John C. Gregory, Jr.
Real Italian pizza ...10 Euros
Bellini at Harry's Bar in Venice ... 22 Euros
Share a gondola ride with friends ... 60 Euros
Going to the Vatican to hear the Orpheus Club perform for a Mass at St Peter's Basilica: PRICELESS!
This is the second time Marlou and I have traveled with the Orpheus Club (the first being Cuba last year), and I can say without equivocation that being an Associate Member of Orpheus has truly been our passport to a world of music. How fortunate for us to be included ... to be a part of the Orpheus experience that far too few have experienced to date. Sure, there are the wonderful concerts and the Revels performances we all love throughout the year, but these travel opportunities inevitably have exceeded every expectation. Not only have the tours been well conceived and expertly executed, but to witness the Orpheus on international stage is beyond compare.
As Associate Members of Orpheus, we are all music lovers. To travel with Orpheus to Italy or Cuba is to experience music as the universal language. It is often the case where neither the local hosts nor many club members speak each other’s languages, but once the music starts, smiles come to the faces of all present as the music speaks to each of us in its own language. I think I can safely speak for all the Associate Members when I say we have witnessed absolutely magical moments where either the Orpheus singers have again made a strong musical impression or the Alfred James Band has achieved yet another crescendo or intensity of performance that just blows everyone away!
I am sure there will be another opportunity for Associate Members to enjoy other travel experiences with the Orpheus Club. I urge each and every one of you to not miss that opportunity when it arises. Not only will you get to visit a distant land, but you will long remember the camaraderie enjoyed and shared by singing and Associate members alike as we share the Orpheus experience.
In each instance where Orpheus or the Alfred James Band performed, in a church at a Mass or otherwise, the wave of applause was immediate and heartfelt. As the Priest said in the only English used during a Mass said all in Latin at St Peter's Basilica, "We thank the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia for their performance!". We, as Associate Members, applaud the Orpheus leadership for their vision and thank those responsible for making this all possible, not the least of which is Alfred Goodrich.
Bravo, Orpheus! Ciao Grazie!
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The 2019 Orpheus Cruise to Bermuda will set sail on July 8, 2019 and return Sunday, July 14th. Prices start as low as $1,450 per person (double occupancy) and will include a private cocktail party every night at sea. 
