Traveling Friends

For more than 15 years, WMPA has hosted unforgettable trips to France, Italy, Ireland, Poland, the Dalmation Coast, the Baltics, Hungary, Romania, Austria, and the Netherlands, among other adventures. Organized by a professional tour operator, we offer an experience filled with music and authentic moments to create a lifetime of memories. Trips are hosted by WMPA Artistic Director Ulysses James.

Northern Italy and Slovenia 2023

FULL DETAILS about our June 2023 TRIP TO ITALY & SLOVENIA

Brittany and Normandy, France 2022

photo collage: Margaret Ballard

WMPA Traveling Friends had a super trip this past May 2022 when we went to a magnificent part of France: Brittany. This province is intimate, ancient, and surrounded by water. We were immersed in cultural explorations and activities including music, dance, and lots and lots of art! Camaraderie is key, and the tour also benefits the orchestra financially. In Normandy we enjoyed the beachheads with a specialist guide. Bayeux is an area we also enjoyed, as well as some cliffside spaces north of the Beachheads. Then off to visit at Saint Malo, Dinan, with an optional day visit to Mont Saint Michel. We spent three days at scenically unbelievable Côte d’ Granit Rose, along the Northern coast of Brittany. This part of the coast is truly magnificent and rock formations are otherworldly. The paths we walked were easy and well-marked. A visit to Sept Isles offered the experience of exotic bird life. We visited magical Locronan en route to Vannes: from Vannes we visited an artist’s haven, also Paul Gauguin’s Haven at Pont Aven and Concarneau. Our day with the Megalithic monuments at Carnac and Locmariaquer was memorable.