About Us

Our story began in 1999, when Corey and Apryl met while marching with Magic of Orlando Drum & Bugle Corps. After aging out of drum corps, Corey became a band director. In 2003, he wanted to take his students to Washington, D.C. and received his principal's blessing—with one condition: "Bring us home a big trophy!"

There was just one problem. In the years following September 11, group travel had slowed dramatically, and there weren't any adjudicated music festivals in Washington, D.C. that year.

At the same time, Apryl had recently graduated from college and was discovering that most "grown-up" jobs involved closed-toe shoes, pantyhose, and arriving at work by 8:00 a.m. (Hard pass.)

So when Corey suggested creating their own music festival in Washington, D.C., it instantly became a passion project for them both. Capitol Music Fest was born.

Apryl had grown up in the D.C. area, and with a few calls to her former band director and a concert venue next to her family's restaurant, the pieces quickly came together. Of course, a festival isn't much of a competition with only one band, so they built a convention booth out of wood and paint, headed to the Florida Bandmasters Conference, and invited directors to join them.

A week later, the phone rang. They had their very first client!

That first festival welcomed five groups: a high school band, a middle school band, a high school choir, a middle school orchestra, and a handbell choir. Since each group competed in a different division, they all earned first place—and Corey proudly returned home with the "big trophy" (which, admittedly, Apryl and Corey had assembled themselves).

The following year, one of the choir directors asked if they could plan a trip to New York City. That's when everything changed. What started as a one-time festival had become a tour company. In year two, they planned travel for 11 groups and loved every minute of it.

By year four, Apryl's sister, Emily, joined the team. The three of them worked out of a Pepto-Bismol pink guest bedroom with a dog named Dave permanently stationed under the desk. They handled sales, operations, accounting, and tour management by day—and waited tables at night to help pay the bills.

In 2009, they purchased their first office, hired an incredible team, and expanded into educational travel. There was just one challenge: schools knew Capitol Music Fest for music tours and didn't realize they also specialized in educational travel.

Around that same time, Corey and Apryl's toddler had a habit of shouting, "Green light... GO!" every time the traffic signal changed. It was the perfect fit. We wanted students to go, explore, and experience the world—and, if we're being honest, we look pretty good in green. Green Light Group Tours was born.

Today, Green Light Group Tours is home to 21 incredible team members who coordinate approximately 240 tours each year, creating unforgettable experiences for nearly 15,000 travelers annually.

We work together from our office in St. Augustine, Florida, complete with an on-site daycare, a really good espresso machine, and a tradition of wearing green on Wednesdays.

Most importantly, we still believe what inspired us from the very beginning: travel changes people. Watching a student's face light up the first time they step into Times Square or stand before our nation's monuments never gets old.

More than two decades later, it's still a passion project—and we're grateful to be a small part of your journey.