The Wind Symphony has been in Mongolia for less than forty-eight hours, and the group has already shared in a wealth of experiences.  They have hiked around the beautiful hills and mountains of the Mongolian countryside, ridden horses and camels, and climbed the larger-than-life Ghenghis Khan statue. <h6>With a very talented and enthusiastic group of students, and an excellent beginning, this tour to Asia should prove to be a great success.</h6> But the greatest highlights so far have been the band's interactions with the Mongolian people. The students spread out Sunday afternoon to different homes to enjoy wonderful hospitality and food. Later that evening they performed a musical fireside for hundreds.  Monday evening the group exchanged music and games with over 100 young adults from the area. With a very talented and enthusiastic group of students, and an excellent beginning, this tour to Asia should prove to be a great success.

Having just been out a week Living Legends has already performed five concerts, devotionals and school assemblies in Montana and British Columbia.  British Columbia boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.  Living Legends experienced some of it as they traveled between Cranbrook and Penticton, with a stop at Glacier National Park in Canada. <h6>"I have never seen a group of young kids sit so still for that long of time and be so engaged as the Living Legends performers danced and shared their talents through music and dance."</h6> The first outreach in Penticton was for local students from nearby schools.  The youth were able to watch and experience cultural dances similar to their bands and tribes. An audience member said, "I have never seen a group of young kids sit so still for that long of time and be so engaged as the Living Legends performers danced and shared their talents through music and dance."   Living Legends member Joel Fonoimoana said, "Moments like these are very educational and uplifting, especially to the younger generations as they begin to embark on their own path and continue on their journey through life." This week includes concerts and assembly programs in Merritt, Kamloops, Prince George, and Prince Rupert.   On Saturday the group will take their 40 foot truck and five tons of sound equipment, props, and costumes and get on the ferry at Prince Rupert, departing for Ketchikan, Alaska. They will finish the week with concerts in Ketchikan.

The BYU Singers this past week were in China’s capital city, Beijing. Three public concerts and a music workshop were intermixed with culturally educational experiences designed to add to the student performers’ classroom preparations for the tour. The highlight concert was held April 30th at Beihang University’s Sunrise Concert Hall. There 850 people filled the hall for an excellent evening of music. Almost 80 special guests were greeted that night by BYU’s Academic Vice President, Brent Webb, Associate International Vice President, Erlend Peterson, Dean of the College of Fine Arts & Communications, Stephen Jones, and by China LDS representative, Steven Toronto. <h6>The group has already won many friends and supporters in China ...</h6> April 29th’s concert was held at the beautiful Tsinghua University Concert Hall, and on May 2 the choir collaborated with two other Chinese choirs for a concert in the China Children’s Center Theatre. A delightful musical workshop took place between BYU and the Beihang University Choir, as the first of five such interactions to occur in this three-week tour of China. Educationally, the group visited the Forbidden City, sang at, as well as climbed, the Great Wall of China, ate a traditional Peking duck lunch, viewed the spacious Summer Palace, and sampled the various cuisine options of the Night Market (including scorpions and sea horses!). The group has already won many friends and supporters in China and looks forward to new cities in the coming weeks.