| LA Phil

Rehearsal in Singapore

October 26, 2008 | Posted by LA Phil Staff in Singapore

Flying the Airbus A380 to Singapore

October 25, 2008 | Posted by Joanne Pearce Martin in Singapore

"Despite being extremely hoarse from two consecutive nights of boisterous karaoke in Tokyo, I awake on Friday morning filled with excitement & anticipation. Our concerts so far in Seoul and Tokyo have been exhilarating, but this is the day we get to fly in the new Airbus A380 ! My mind is filled with facts & figures I’ve collected on this remarkable aircraft, the world’s largest passenger plane - $350 million dollars, a tail which stretches up to 7 stories in the air, double deck seating for the entire length of the fuselage, 12 First Class suites with double beds & flat screen TVs, room for as many as 853 passengers(!), and a completely computerized “fly-by-wire” system.

On to Singapore

October 24, 2008 | Posted by Eric Overholt in Singapore

"It’s been a great tour so far. Tokyo was an especially unbelievable place. The people there were so eager to assist and serve. Purchasing a small gift for my wife at a department store, the salesperson gave me the feeling it was her greatest pleasure in life to help me.

The flight to Singapore was much more comfortable than I ever expected a 7 hour flight could be – I’m sure the brand new Airbus A380 (think gigantic flying double-decker bus) had a lot to do with that. Unfortunately, as soon as I landed I began having some mild dizziness. Practicing later in the hotel room (with a practice mute – a fixture for us brass players on tour), it felt as if the hotel was experiencing a small earthquake for the entire 90 minutes. A good night’s sleep and a good breakfast the next morning seem to have done the trick in steadying things. I’ll probably take it pretty easy nonetheless.