Having toured France, Australia, and Canada in the past, the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra has selected Spain as its next destination to visit. From March 24 to April 4, UCDSO  will be performing in Madrid, Granada, Valencia, and Barcelona, including at the prominent Palau de la Musica Catalana (or Palace of Catalan Music, as it is known in English).

For the past year or so, UCDSO has been fundraising toward their goal of offering a 25 percent scholarship to the 100 or so students that make up the orchestra for the trip.

When asked why the orchestra decided on Spain to travel and perform at, the orchestra’s conductor, Christian Baldini was full of praise for the European country famous for its distinct style of guitar music.

“Spain is one of the most exciting music scenes in the world nowadays. Thirty years ago, they barely had any first rate orchestra,” Baldini said. “These days, they have over 30 excellent orchestras, and numerous world class concert halls. Spanish audiences are now eager to listen to musicians from abroad.”

Besides its growing music scene, Baldini noted that Spain has much to offer the orchestra members as students will be given a chance to immerse themselves in Spain’s local community and experience the delicious cuisines that abound in the country.

Morgan McMahon, a recent graduate with a Bachelors of Science in environmental horticulture, is a violinist in the orchestra and has been a member since she was a first-year student in 2008.

Initially, McMahon wasn’t going to join the orchestra in its tour of Spain since she was a recent graduate. But, once she received a job offer in Davis, she decided to continue playing with UCDSO and go to Spain as well.

“It was a big decision on a personal level, since the tour is so expensive, especially as a non-student orchestra member but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I can’t miss. Preparing for the tour is going to require a lot of work from each orchestra member and Professor Baldini has already given us some challenging pieces so far this season,” McMahon said.

Robert Glenn Olson, a junior aerospace and mechanical engineer, is also another member of UCDSO who is just as excited as McMahon. He has played the French horn for nine years and just like McMahon, he joined UCDSO when he was a first-year student.

“I have been waiting for the trip since Spring quarter of 2010 when it was announced. I am extremely excited to get out of the country for the first time, and to be able to do it with an ensemble,” Olson said. “Everything is so much more fun from the stage. I think we will learn a lot about how we play music because we will have to adapt quickly to the different halls.”

Members of the UCDSO are currently hard at work during their weekly practices rehearsing pieces they will be playing in Spain.

Besides the excitement and anticipation among the orchestra members about the upcoming trip, Baldini sees the trip as a great opportunity for UCDSO to not only gain knowledge of other genres of music but also to spread recognition of UC Davis internationally.

“We represent UC Davis and the entire community of Davis at large. We will be traveling as musical ambassadors of our campus and this makes us proud. We perform with great love and dedication, and we are proud to have one of the most ambitious and exciting orchestral programs in the entire country,” Baldini said.

UCDSO will be performing Schumann’s Symphony No. 4, Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto, Op. 38, and another concerto, both with different soloists during their time in Spain. The first concert will take place in Madrid, where they will not only share the stage with a local Spanish orchestra, but also collaborate together.

MICHELLE RUAN can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Indeed there is an increased emphasis being put globally on style. In both the corporate world and the quickly evolving cultural arena in countries such as China, which was recently declared a fashion superpower by Vogue America, presentation has become the first criteria for judgment.

For certain college students, making a way into the “real world” by using the language of fashion might be the route to take.

With collaborative collections, iconic bags named after them, and front row seats to the most exclusive fashion shows, fashion bloggers have burst onto the scene in a major way a decade ago and the phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down.

And UC Davis has joined the movement.

UC Davis Textstyles blog, run by UC Davis students of the textiles and clothing department, is an interesting read. Currently 11 students manage the site. The blog takes a different vein with every blog post, from a post appraising reality-TV-star-turned-designer Lauren Conrad’s Kohls collection to a post that pays homage to Jason Wu and another that highlights the burgundy pants trend for Fall.

Bloggers for UC Davis Textstyles update their own blog with new trends and fashion news.

“Cupcakes and Cashmere, and Glamourai are my favorite blogs,” said, Emily Bonsignore, a first-year textiles and clothing major and current blogger.

The blog brings much needed sartorial relief to Davis with its small-town-college-student fashion culture.

For Ashley Mariano, a senior in the major, the blog was intended for those who enjoy reading about fashion.

“I co-founded the blog with my friend Ely in January of 2010. I can’t speak for her, but I just wanted to create an outlet for people to share their ideas on fashion and textiles,” Mariano said.

The UC Davis Textstyles Blog is a great platform to discover new trends that are tailored to Davis’ social and literal climate.

“For a rainy day in Davis I go for a printed sweater, chunky necklace, a parka, a pair of blue jeans, and some boots, it’s comfy, cute, and keeps me dry,” said Bonsignore, when asked about every Davis girl’s rainy day outfit dilemma.

Chenise Polines, sophomore, had a tip for shopping on a college budget.

“Being on a ‘college student budget’ just means one needs to know how to reassess one’s wardrobe and create new outfits if he or she isn’t willing to spend school money shopping here and there. Personally, I like to spread out my new purchases throughout the year so that I always feel like I’ve just gone shopping.”

Mariano, who cites Rachel Roy, Sarah Meier, and Melody Ehsani as her inspirations, points out the necessity of some sartorial savvy.

“I really get inspired by women who are both stylish and have brains/are passionate about what they do,” Mariano said.

You can visit the UC Davis Textstyles blog at ucdtextstyles.blogspot.com/.

SASHA SHARMA can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

Much like poetry or any form self-expression through spoken word, freestyling is continually proving itself to be a legitimate form of art. And that is the main goal of The Oak Grove Community Cypher. The newly developed group meets up every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in the Davis Arboretum.

The Oak Grove Community Cypher’s founding members, Laura Jane Harvey and Rennie Putnam, are hoping to build a community of people who enjoy freestyling, rapping, hip-hop, poetry and everything in between.

Putnam, who is a first-year veterinary medicine graduate student, has been freestyling as long as he can remember.

“It’s very informal, all we’re really trying to do is build a community through verse and welcome and support it,” Putnam said. “It’s a way to hear hip-hop that’s not about bling or cars, there’s more to it, [freestyling] gives a everyone a chance and opportunity to participate in hip-hop”.

The act and definition of freestyling itself relies heavily on improvisation — similar to rapping. This is already known to those who freestyle and participate in cyphers.

The group of freestylers stand in a circle and spit (speak) rhymes with the support of a couple of beat-boxers. An important element to freestyling is the knowledge of current events. Although it is rapping, rhyming itself isn’t necessary either; just being able to keep a beat while speaking right off your subconscious is the main objective.

“Freestyling itself benefits you as an individual since it motivates you to learn more, and the more you know, the more material you have.” Harvey, a sophomore pre-landscape architecture major, said. “Personally it make me feel smarter, as it forces me to think critically about stuff”.

Freestyling itself can also be seen as an alternative form of communication. Essentially the freestylers drop all pretenses and are speaking to each other while at their most vulnerable.

According to the participants, vulnerability is needed to think on their feet and start spitting out words using whatever comes up off the top of your head.

“It encourages people and when you are with your friends and feeling good, loose and relaxed, you remember what people have to say and feel a better connected,” Putnam said .

This sort of connectedness has not much to do with spirituality or religion although it certainly can be described as such and feels like so for certain freestylers. What this connectedness is referring to is getting to know your fellow freestyler. Since most freestylers are at that vulnerable position using what they know and what they’ve experienced, there is a form of personality that shines through unlike in regular communication or speech. It is a way for participants to be open but also, to have fun.

“You are spilling your thoughts and opinions on everyone else but it’s not in your face and it’s pretty G-rated. It makes talking about stuff more versatile and interesting and more people actually listen to you,” Harvey said . “Fortunately, the Gazebo is just a nice place, that is very relaxed and friendly, the people are here to do art and share any common interest.”

The Oak Grove Community Cypher is open to the public and anyone can participate. Harvey gives advices to those who have never rapped or freestyled.

“Just keep talking, even if you can’t rhyme, just keep talking,” Harvey said. “You usually have absolutely no idea what you are going to say anyway. Eventually you just have [to] own what you are saying and make it your own thing”.

While there is no official collaboration happening with SickSpits, the UC Davis campus spoken word group, both Harvey and Putnam look forward to something happening in the future.

The group urges participants to message them on Facebook or just show up on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in the UC Davis Arboretum.

“All I hope is that people will come to the group, meet new people, make new friends, they can come to place that feels safe and where they can express themselves and have fun”.

Dr. Andy Jones, a university of writing program professor and organizer of various poetry events on campus, is a supporter of the spoken word movement.

“Spoken word groups allow students to pay homage to traditions of hip-hop culture while always adding something new, which in our case also means something local. Some see local efforts at rapping, MCing, DJing and beatboxing as UC Davis students distinguishing themselves from the slower rhythms of the agricultural town of Davis, but I would say in 2011, that both the city and the university are diverse and energetic enough to accommodate these urban, diverse and often chanted rhythms,” Jones said . “As a poetry and spoken word enthusiast, I welcome new voices, and look forward to seeing what the Oak Grove Community Cypher has to offer.”

RUDY SANCHEZ can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.