As the days draw nearer to take off, there is one prominent
concern among Youth string players: Ivory, and chiefly, customs. Last July,
President Obama issued an executive order banning the commercial import of elephant
ivory, including the entrance of elephant ivory into the United States. While
there are loopholes around this (ivory legally acquired prior to 1976,
certificates, etc.), customs, naught to say, is notoriously unpredictable. My
best bet: Bring a bow without ivory, and preferably without mammoth as well.
Ralph Rabin, luthier, is taking orders for composite bows at an economic price.
He has also generously donated two samples of mammoth ivory to bring along in
case there is need be to educate customs. If the situation ever arises, my
guess is that customs would be left in a state of riled pique.
In my mind, the most pressing concern of this trip is with
no doubt instrument safety. It doesn’t give much peace of mind when remembering
the infamous Alban Gerhardt case a year back. Gerhardt, featured soloist at a
Madison Symphony concert, arrived to find his bow snapped in half over the
bridge. Later concerts revealed developing problems with a sinking bridge. The
TSA came under fire after this debacle, and it is my hope nothing comes to the
likes of it.
Fortunately, Encore is more than ready to take our
instruments (and us) on a well-supervised tour. For extra precautions, read the
instrument instructions by Ralph Rabin on the packing manual and pack
accordingly. You should protect your instrument from both bumpy travel
conditions and poor humidity levels.
On a more cheerful
note, Argentina, much like the typical European city, likes to live the good
life – the center of it being food. An interesting morsel of Argentinian
cuisine habits: Diets are meat-orientated, and the country is famous for its tasty
grass-fed cattle (and the beef of it). More
typical nosh includes pasta, more pasta, and an exorbitant amount of cheese. Vegetarians
are almost illusory, and vegans are non-existent. None of this is particularly
promising to me, but for the meat-eaters, it’s your haven.
See you soon,
Isabella Wu
