Bayou Musicians Abroad | Trip Dashboard

Welcome to Bayou Musicians Abroad

Find the latest information on our Bayou trip below.

Our inaugural trip for the states of Louisiana and Mississippi will make up our Bayou Musicians Abroad Tour. Commonly found in the Gulf Coast region of the southern United States, this body of water is often times an extremely slow-moving stream, river, marshy lake, wetland, or creek. Taken from the Choctaw word bayuk, meaning small stream, the bayous are commonly associated with Creole culture.

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Current itinerary for Bayou

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Check In, Meet and Greet – Louisianna State University

Get checked in to the dorms, meet your roommate and move into your room. The evening will include rehearsal and recreation time with your newfound friends.

Friday, June 19, 2026

Rehearsal Day

After breakfast, you’ll spend a full day in sectionals and rehearsals working on the performance literature.

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Rehearsal, Bon Voyage Concert

Your final rehearsals occur throughout the day and culminate with a concert for your family, friends and supporters. Pack up tonight so you are ready to depart early tomorrow morning.

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Travel Day

It’s up early as we load the coaches and transfer from LSU to an International airport for your flight to Europe!

Monday, June 22, 2026

Arrive Vienna, Guided Tour

Welcome to Vienna! Pass through customs and grab your luggage. After your overnight flight, our morning sightseeing begins with a drive along Ring Boulevard, Hofburg Palace and the State Opera.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Schonbrunn Palace, Concerts

Visit and tour UNESCO World Heritage Site, Schonbrunn Palace is one of Austria's most important cultural assets, and since the 1960's has been one of Vienna's major tourist attractions. All ensembles will perform today.

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Melk Abbey, Salzburg

Off we go to Salzburg with a stop at Melk Abbey for a guided visit. Tonight we’ll have dinner in Salzburg.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Guided Tour of Salzburg, Concerts

Enjoy a walking tour of the historic center of Salzburg. After the tour you’ll have free time for lunch on your own before concerts by all ensembles and dinner.

Friday, June 26, 2026

Munich, Dachau Concentration Camp, Oberammergau

You'll have a chance to spend some free time for lunch and sightseeing in the Munich city center. Just northwest of Munich lies KZ gedenkstaette Dachau, the infamous concentration camp that became the model for all other camps established by the Nazi regime across Europe. We’ll travel to Oberammergau for the night.

Saturday, June 27, 2026

Oberammergau, Zugspitze Mountaintop, Concerts

Today, you'll have a chance to ride by cable car and cogwheel train up Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze. We return to Oberammergau for some free time and prepare for evening concerts at the Ammergauerhaus.

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Neuschwanstein Castle, Swiss Folklore Dinner

Off we go to Switzerland with a stop and tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle, which inspired the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle. Catch a glimpse of the Bavarian Alps before heading to Oberammergau, a village of noted wood carvers. We’ll finish the day with a traditional Swiss dinner at the Stadtkeller, a unique combination of good food, music and fun.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Guided Tour of Lucerne, Concerts

Lucerne, nestled in the heart of Switzerland, is a picturesque city renowned for its stunning lakeside setting and dramatic mountain backdrop. Its charming Old Town features well-preserved medieval architecture, including the iconic Chapel Bridge and Water Tower. All ensembles will perform today.

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Travel to Paris

Grab a big breakfast as we begin our travel to Paris! You’ll have some free time for lunch and shopping.

Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Paris Sights, Concerts, Seine River Cruise Dinner

Paris is the city of love and offers many sights including the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe and The Louvre Museum. Shopping and the excitement of the city abound. All ensembles will perform then enjoy dinner tonight on a Seine River cruise.

Thursday, July 02, 2026

Versailles Palace, Normandy

After breakfast, our travel day begins with a to visit Versailles Palace, a symbol of the grandeur of the French monarchy and a masterpiece of 17th-century architecture and design. We will continue to Normandy for the night.

Friday, July 03, 2026

Normandy, Omaha Beach, American Cemetery, Bayeux Tapestry Museum

We’re up early as we make our way to Point-du-Hoc and Omaha Beach. Pay your respects at the American Cemetery and visit the Bayeux Tapestry Museum.

Saturday, July 04, 2026

Flights to USA

It’s the last morning of a magnificent tour filled with experiences that will stay with you forever. We’re off to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport for departure. Today you will gain back the six hours you lost on your flight to Vienna many days ago! We return to the U.S. excited, enthused and exhausted yet enriched.

OPTIONAL London Extension

Choose to stay for an extra two days and visit London, the capital of England.

Already joined our trip? Tour information here.

Our Office

Address: 5348 W. Vermont Street, Suite 200 Indianapolis, IN, 46224
Phone: 800.616.1112
Local: 317.637.0837
Contact

Meet Your State Organizers

Learn about your state's organizers and their roles in your upcoming trip.

Brett Babineaux Coordinator

View Brett Babineaux's Bio

About Brett Babineaux

Brett Babineaux is in his 27th year of teaching music in Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly USL). Currently teaching at Broussard MS, he has held similar positions at Lafayette HS, Seventh Ward Elementary, Henry Elementary and New Iberia Senior HS. He has had the privilege of serving as a guest clinician for honor bands throughout the state and adjudicates various marching band contests and concert band assessments throughout south Louisiana. In 2016, his band proudly performed in Hawaii for the 75th Pearl Harbor Anniversary. Mr. Babineaux’s bands have consistently received superior ratings on all levels of assessment.

Mr. Babineaux currently serves as Immediate-Past President of the Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA). His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, LMEA, the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association, the Southwest Louisiana Band Directors Association and Phi Beta Mu. Since 2020, Mr. Babineaux has developed online professional development opportunities for LMEA as well as serving as interim conference chairperson for the 2022 and 2023 LMEA Professional Development Conference. He currently serves as Worship Associate at First Baptist Church, Lafayette. Brett performs in various ensembles throughout the Lafayette area, including the Acadian Wind Symphony and the Skyliners Big Band of Acadiana.

Damon Talley Band Conductor

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About Damon Talley

Damon Talley serves as Director of Bands and Paula G. Manship Professor of Conducting at the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Music where he oversees all aspects of the LSU Department of Bands, conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches graduate conducting. The nationally recognized Band Department at LSU serves as an integral component of the thriving School of Music. Under his leadership, the Department has established an annual conducting symposium, high school and middle school camps that serve hundreds of students annually and numerous outreach events for public school educators.

The Golden Band From Tigerland marching band has been featured at national conferences on multiple occasions and, most recently, the LSU Wind Ensemble performed at the College Band Directors National Association national convention. Dr. Talley is a strong supporter and advocate of music in the public schools. He regularly serves as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States and abroad, including engagements in Germany, Switzerland, England and Spain.

The LSU Wind Ensemble has released multiple recordings on the Equilibrium Label and continues to commission and record new compositions regularly. Dr. Talley has recorded on Best Classical Records and received favorable reviews from publications including Gramophone magazine and the American Record Guide. He has served as producer or associate producer on commercial recordings by the Naxos, Klavier and Equilibrium record labels, and is published in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, distributed by GIA Publications.

As an avid supporter of new music for the wind medium, Dr. Talley has conducted numerous world premier performances and has commissioned composers to write for the wind band. He regularly hosts visiting composers of national and international status on the campus of LSU and is a strong advocate for young composers, often premiering pieces by student composers. Dr. Talley is currently the National Chair for the New Works Committee of CBDNA as well as the Chair for the Commissioning Committee for the SEC Band Directors Association.

Prior to his appointment at LSU, Dr. Talley held the position of Director of Bands at Shenandoah Conservatory, where he was responsible for guiding the wind band program, conducting the EDGE New Music Ensemble and teaching graduate conducting. He has also taught on the faculties at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan. Prior to teaching at the university level, Dr. Talley taught in the public schools in Texas at both the middle school and high school levels. He earned a Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Michigan and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from The University of Texas.

Dr. Talley is an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu, an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma and holds professional memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, the Louisiana Music Educators Association, and the Texas Music Educators Association. He is also an Educational Consultant and Clinician for the Conn-Selmer Corporation.

Alissa Mercurio Rowe Choir Conductor

View Alissa Mercurio Rowe's Bio

About Alissa Mercurio Rowe

Alissa Mercurio Rowe serves as Associate Professor and Galante Chair and Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University. She conducts the renown LSU A Cappella Choir who which travel to London in 2025 and perform Jocelyn Hagen’s Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci in the Vox Anima Festival. She is an active adjudicator and guest conductor and has conducted numerous All-State and District Honor Choirs.

Rowe presented research on Individual Assessment in the Choral Rehearsal at the International Conference on Arts and Humanities and at the 2019 National American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Conference. Dr. Rowe received the President’s Award from St. Tammany Parish President, Patricia C. Brister, as Musical Artist of the Year in St. Tammany Parish and was awarded the Southeastern Louisiana University’s President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity.

Dr. Rowe has performed as soprano soloist with the Tallahassee Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony, New Hampshire Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico). She also performed and recorded three roles in David Schiff’s opera Gimpel the Fool with Third Angle, Portland, Oregon’s renowned new music ensemble. Dr. Rowe is a versatile performer who regularly performs a wide variety of works. Rowe released the album, “Defining French Arias of Early 19th Century New Orleans,” in October 2021 on Centaur Records.

Dr. Rowe holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music in Conducting, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance, a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Teacher Certification K-12 from the University of Michigan.

Greig Ashurst Handbell Conductor

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About Greig Ashurst

For over 30 years, Greig Ashurst has developed an impressive conducting and teaching career in many facets of music, technology and educational philosophy across the U.S. Mr. Ashurst is the Band Director and Technology Director at Cathedral-Carmel School in Lafayette, La. where he was selected as the 2016-2017 Teacher of the Year. Additionally, he conducts handbell ensembles and youth choirs at Asbury United Methodist Church of Lafayette.

Mr. Ashurst has conducted bands, orchestras, choirs and handbell ensembles in nearly every US state, Puerto Rico and Japan. Whatever type of ensemble, Ashurst engages audiences with a unique perspective from his diverse musical experiences. As a clinician, Mr. Ashurst has had an illustrious career teaching, conducting and presenting clinics, workshops and keynote addresses throughout the United States. As a music education and technology consultant with Schulmerich Bells, he developed two new lines of professional performance mallets that have transformed the timbral landscape of modern handbell music and handbell performance. In addition to numerous articles published in various music journals, he has music published by Hope, From the Top and GIA publications. Mr. Ashurst currently serves as president of the Handbell Musicians of America.

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Bayou • June 21 - July 4, 2026