Kentucky June 25 - July 15, 2025
Welcome to Kentucky Musicians Abroad
Find the latest information on our Kentucky trip below.
2025 Nominations NOW OPEN
This international tour will be with the group from the great state of Kentucky. Known for fast horses at Churchill Downs and the Bourbon Trail, the Bluegrass State is the 26th most populous state in the U.S.
Resources and News
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Get checked into the dorms, meet your roommate and move in to your room. The evening will include rehearsal and recreation time with your newfound friends.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
After breakfast, you’ll spend a full day in sectionals and rehearsals working on the performance literature.
Friday, June 27, 2025
Another full day of rehearsals and sectionals as we prepare for our International Performance Tour.
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Our final full day of rehearsals and sectionals with your newly found friends and peers.
Sunday, June 29, 2025
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.
Monday, June 30, 2025
Transfer from the University of Louisville to an International airport for your flight to Europe!
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Welcome to London! Pass through customs and grab your luggage. After your overnight flight, you’ll have a chance to visit Windsor Palace and get your bearings as you start to explore everything Great Britain has to offer!
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
We’ll observe the Changing of the Guard and Buckingham Palace, lunch at The Borough Market and the Tower of London.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Today’s sightseeing in London will take you to some of the most historic and iconic locations in the United Kingdom! Highlights include Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park and more. Today will also be first tour performances by all ensembles for enthusiastic locals in London! You’ll have an opportunity for individual pursuits this evening.
Friday, July 4, 2025
You’ll be up early to check out of the hotel as we make our way to France. Board the ferry, see the White Cliffs of Dover and arrive in Calais. On to Paris and hotel check in and dinner.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Paris is the city of love and offers many sights including Notre-Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe and The Louvre Museum. Shopping and the excitement of the city abound. You’ll spend the morning at the Eiffel Tower and all ensembles will have performances.
Sunday, July 6, 2025
After breakfast, you’ll board the coaches to travel to Montmartre. The charming hilltop Montmartre district, also known as La Butte, is a former artists’ village once inhabited by Picasso and Dalí, and home to the domed Sacré-Cœur basilica. Scale the many steps up to Montmartre for an amazing view of the city and lunch. After some shopping, we travel to the Latin Quarter. Also known as the 5th arrondissement, the quaint Latin Quarter is home to Sorbonne University and student-filled cafes. It’s also famed for its bookshops, including the landmark Shakespeare & Company. Other attractions include the Jardin des Plantes Botanical Gardens and the National Museum of Natural History. Find a street-side café for an espresso.
Monday, July 7, 2025
Time to load up the suitcase and board the coaches. You’ll be mesmerized by the beauty of the terrain as we travel to Switzerland. Tonight, you’ll travel via cog railway for hiking, activities, dancing, dinner and maybe even a visit from a St. Bernard atop a beautiful mountain in Villars.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Always one of the highlights of this entire tour is your day at the Matterhorn! Stunning scenery and landscape and a chance to enjoy and sample the local culinary delights await you on this special day.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
After breakfast, we’ll spend the day in Villars-sur-Ollon, a village in the western Swiss Vaud Alps, featuring views of Lake Geneva, vineyards and the Leysin ski resort. All ensembles will perform and enjoy a Swiss Folklore dinner before climbing the sinuous path back to the hotel.
Thursday, July 10, 2025
It’s time to bid farewell to Switzerland as we check out of the hotel and load the coaches for Germany via France. We’ll pass back into France and stop for lunch in gorgeous city of Strasbourg. The Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame features daily shows from its astronomical clock and sweeping views of the Rhine River from partway up its 142m spire. We arrive in Heidelberg for dinner and an evening of rest.
Friday, July 11, 2025
After breakfast, you’ll enjoy a tour of Heidelberg and the Heidelberg Castle. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries. All ensembles will perform before dinner in the city.
Saturday, July 12, 2025
You’ll be up early to grab breakfast before departing for Cologne Cathedral. The Concert Choir will perform at Kölner Dom then we are on our way to Utrecht.
Sunday, July 13, 2025
Known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, the Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Beware of bicycles! Cycling is key to the city’s character and there are numerous bike paths. Enjoy a leisurely canal cruise followed by Concert Choir and String Orchestra performances and dinner along the canal.
Monday, July 14, 2025
The Concert Band will perform their final concert followed by plenty of time to make your last souvenir purchases. Tonight, you’ll celebrate the trip with a special farewell dinner in the Netherlands!
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
It’s the last morning of a magnificent tour filled with experiences that will stay with you forever. We’re off to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for departure. Today you will gain back the six hours you lost on your flight to London many days ago! We return to the U.S. excited, enthused and exhausted yet enriched.
Itinerary updated as of 04.10.24
In general, you should plan to attend the meeting nearest your home. If you can't make the meeting nearest your home, you may attend any other meeting that fits your schedule. We do encourage students and parents to take advantage of the earliest meeting date possible. Meetings will last approximately one hour. During the meeting, you will meet the music directors and local staff. Please direct Concert Band or String Orchestra questions to Dr. Frederick Speck at 502.852.5495. Direct Choir questions to Dr. Kent Hatteberg at 502.852.0822.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
2:00 PM (EDST)
Paul Laurence Dunbar HS
Theater - Enter through main doors
1600 Man O War Blvd., Lexington, KY
Rebecca Goff, host
859.475.3772
7:00 PM (EDST)
Oldham County HS
Band Room
1150 N Hwy 393, Buckner, KY
David and Staci Centers, hosts
502.822.6362 (David Centers)
502.544.5577 (Staci Centers)
Monday, April 29, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Youth Performing Arts School
Band Room - Enter through the doors under the green awning
1517 S. Second St., Louisville, KY
Kevin and Kaitlin Callihan, hosts
606.923.6309
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
7:00 PM (CDST)
Owensboro MS Orchestra Room
Orchestra Room
1300 Booth Avenue, Owensboro, KY
Shelly Burgess, host
270.686.1130 – (orchestra office), 270.970.8331 (Burgess)
Thursday, May 9, 2024
3:00 PM (EDST)
Central Hardin HS
Band Room
3040 Leitchfield Road, Cecilia, KY
Trevor Ervin and Brad Rogers, hosts
270.737.6800 (office) or 502.751.1231 (Rogers)
Sunday, May 12, 2024
1:30 PM (CDST)
McCracken County HS
Auditorium
6530 US Highway 60, Paducah, KY
Steven Page, host
270.538.4300 (MCHS main office), 270.559.5682 (cell)
7:00 PM (CDST)
Greenwood HS
Auditorium
5065 Scottsville Road, Bowling Green, KY
Abigail Sells, Jared Sells and Robbie Fudge, hosts
270.842.3627 main office, 502.370.6702 cell (Abigail Sells)
770.825.6074 cell (Jared Sells), 270.670.3365 cell (Robbie Fudge)
Monday, May 13, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Eastern HS
Auditorium
12400 Old Shelbyville Rd., Middletown, KY
Frederick C. Speck, host
812.786.2949
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Ryle HS
Band Room
10379 U.S. Highway 42, Union, KY
Joe Craig, David Jump and Brad Rogers, hosts
859.384.5300, ext. 71331 (Craig/Jump) or 502.751.1231 (Rogers)
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Jeffersonville HS
Band Room - Enter door 32
2315 Allison Lane, Jeffersonville, IN
Adam Miller, host
812.282.6601 ext. 15216
Thursday, May 16, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Madison Southern HS
Auditorium - Drive around behind the school for best access
279 Glades Road, Berea, KY
David Ratliff, host
859.625.6148, ext. 6206 (office), 859.582.3767 (cell)
Sunday, May 19, 2024
2:00 PM (EDST)
Franklin County HS
Band Room - Enter rear of school directly through door number 39
1100 East Main Street, Frankfort, KY
Josh and Melissa Toppass, hosts
502.695.6750, ext. 331 (office), 502.386.8975 (cell)
7:00 PM (EDST)
Lafayette HS
Orchestra Room - Room 623)
Enter from the back of school off Springhill Drive through door number 18C
401 Reed Lane, Lexington, KY
Phil Kent and Aaron Breeck, hosts
859.771.6654 (Kent) 859.321.9939 (Breeck)
Monday, May 20, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Rowan County Senior HS
Auditorium
499 Viking Drive, Morehead, KY
Josh Hamilton, host
606.784.8956 (school phone), 859.489.0900 (cell)
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Hazard Independent HS
Band Room
157 Bulldog Lane (just off Route 15), Hazard, KY
Pauletta Smith and Jon Day, hosts
606.438.5511 (Day)
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
University of Louisville
Strickler Hall, Room SK102, Corner of Cardinal Blvd. and 1st St., Louisville, KY
Park in the lot adjacent to the School of Music then walk to Strickler Hall (just past Planetarium)
Frederick Speck and Kent Hatteberg, hosts
502.852.5495 (Speck) or 502.852.0822 (Hatteberg)
Thursday, May 23, 2024
7:00 PM (EDST)
Highland Hills MSAuditorium
3492 Edwardsville-Galena Rd., Georgetown, IN
Paul Shepherd, host
812.542.8501 ext. 3232 (office), 502.552.5008 (cell)
Meetings updated as of 04.10.24