MSJ’s Marching Band Italy Trip Takes a Sickening Turn

By Staff Writers Jessica Cao & Saesha Prabhakar

The clock in Kevin Wang’s hotel room glowed past midnight when his stomach began to twist. At first, it was just discomfort. Then came the headache, and the sinking feeling that something was wrong. While the rest of the band slept in preparation for another day in Italy, Wang lay awake, waiting for the pain to pass.

What began as an exciting international performance opportunity took a stressful turn for MSJ’s marching band after a food poisoning outbreak left nearly a third of the group ill. The MSJ marching band students were given a scholarship, allowing them to travel to Europe and perform on New Year’s Eve in Frascati and New Year’s Day in Rome. From December 26th to January 5th, the marching band visited several cities in Italy, including Naples, Florence, Pompeii, and Vatican. But while the highlight of the trip was to perform at churches and on the historical streets of Europe, it quickly changed into disaster when students began getting sick in Frascati after using meal tokens to buy pizza and gelato. 

For Sophomore Clarinetist Kevin Wang, the night unfolded slowly and painfully. “I couldn’t sleep all night. I toughed it out but through[out] the night I threw up … until there [was] nothing to throw up anymore.” Across the hotel, similar scenes were unfolding. Students reported roommates vomiting and unable to leave their beds. “My roommate vomited twice and I got mildly sick as well. And then there were people who were very bedridden, and [we realized that] this [was] not just one person, this was everybody,” Bass Clarinetist Junior Owen Tsai said.

By the following morning, the illness had affected about 21 students. The chaperones on the trip — including William Hopkins Middle School Instrumental Director of Music Jason Sarten and MSJ’s Assistant Principal Beth Bonomo — acted quickly, bringing a local physician to the hotel to treat students and prescribe medication. The cause of the outbreak remains unclear with some plausible reasons including food poisoning, E. Coli, or the  influenza A virus that was making rounds in Europe at the time.

When the illness first struck, the marching band had already completed their concerts, including one at a church in Rome and Frascati. Those who fell sick, though, missed the visit to Pompeii and the Rome Parade. However, the performance at the parade was not affected, as very few students were absent — most of them being flute and clarinet players. Soon after receiving antibiotics and probiotics from the local physician, the majority of the sick students began feeling better within 24 hours with their symptoms slowly fading. “[The sickness outbreak] made us realize we had already done everything we were supposed to do … So we were allowed to get the kids the help they needed,” Bonomo said. 

Even with the sickness, the Italy band trip was still a memorable, exciting, and unique experience for both the students and chaperones. Over the course of the trip, the students and chaperones explored iconic landmarks such as the Colesseum, the original statue of David, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Additionally, the majority of the students got the chance to participate in the New Year’s Day Parade and a festival at Frascati, where they played pieces rehearsed throughout the marching band season such as “Shenandoah” by Frank Ticheli, “Salvation is Created” by Pavel Chesnokov, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by J.S. Bach, ‘Encanto” by Robert W. Smith, “Carry On” by Herbert Winson, and “Angles We Have Heard On High.” “Outside of the E coli incident … [the trip] was pretty fun,” Tsai said.