Double "Reeding"

Now that I got the sappy post out of the way, I'm ready to write something else!

(Don't get me wrong, either. I'm just ready for a happier topic)

This summer, I have an opportunity to play with the Hu Bei Dance Company in a performance called, "The Dream of Helen" in Hu Bei, Wuhan Province, China. While I'm super excited, I'm also nervous. I've never been out of the country before! In fact, I never have had a passport before this year, and I'm going to go play bassoon with a professional orchestra!! WOW!

I know this post may not get a ton of responses, but I'm curious to know - readers: what do you think I should do while I'm there? What kinds of things should I find to bring home? What should I "brace myself" for when I get there - in terms of culture shock?

My biggest question (OK! Fine, not my biggest, but pretty high up there...) is what's going to happen to my reeds?! Non-reeders won't understand. For people who play musical instruments, especially double reeds, you know that little changes in the earth's atmosphere, humidity, condensation, ambient temperature, wind speed, and air turbulence above 90,000 feet all play some kind of havoc on your precious instrument! (Ok... the last one was supposed to be funny...) I live in the mountains in southern Utah and find myself having to adjust reeds constantly. A reed that played well 10 minutes ago suddenly dried out, shriveled up, and practically died. Then, 10 minutes later, the barometer shifts again and the reed suddenly "springs" back to life! I swear I will never understand...

Single reed players have it bad once in a while, too, but it seems like oboe players have it MUCH worse than bassoon players, and bassoon players get it pretty bad.

Frank Morelli once said at an IDRS conference that he - when changing climate, altitude, etc - would close down the reed tip - both wires - and adjust as needed when he got where he was going. Sage advice from a Juliard professor. I guess the other alternative is to have a billion blanks ready to rock and roll, so when I get there, I can work on a few and get them all set for playing. That might be more bother than it's worth!

My question now is... do you have any tips or tricks for keeping your reeds from dying on you? What about keeping my instrument from physical damage (ie.: cracks - going from very dry to very humid)? Any comments are welcomed!