Each year, approximately 250 musically gifted high school students from around North Dakota and Montana are nominated to take a summer trip to perform in several countries around Europe.  Dr. Warren Olfert, of the NDSU Music Department, is the man that assembles the trip of performers.
This year, three local students were selected to participate.  Amanda Pratt, DelRae Latendresse and Shane Mensing, all of which are members of the TGU Towner Choir, will be traveling Europe this summer to perform in the musical tour.  
The group of performers that are traveling to Europe will first convene in Fargo on July 6th to meet one another and spend some time practicing their performance pieces. They will arrive in Europe for their first concert on July 9th. The ensemble will be performing in seven different European countries, including the cities of Paris, France and London, England.
During the trip, the group will also have the opportunity to visit and enjoy several locations and tourist attractions throughout the continent. The students also mentioned stopping in London to enjoy a musical. Several options were available such as "Phantom of the Opera" or "Shrek."

It's no secret that it's a great honor to be able to represent The Northern Ambassadors of Music by participating in this tour, but it is definitely not cheap. On average, it costs around $5,000 per person to attend this trip and that doesn't include extra spending money for such things as souvenirs or snacks. An expensive, but great and perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these young people.
Since they received word that they had been selected to participate in the tour, the students have spent the past several months working to raise money to help pay for the trip. Some of the fund raisers they have done include holding a raffle, making and selling lunches during various community events, and hosting benefit meals. The most recent fund raiser will be a pancake and sausage benefit breakfast to be held on this Sunday, March 13, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the TGU Towner High School multipurpose room.
The three students would like to thank everyone that has and will help them make this trip possible.