DePauw Chamber Symphony Tours Austria

April 7, 2009

The DePauw Chamber Symphony traveled to Austria during Winter Term to take part in commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of composer Franz Joseph Haydn. The week-long tour of travel included Vienna and Salzburg, with daytime sightseeing and nighttime performances. Led by an Austrian tour guide, the students were given bus and walking tours of each city and were provided valuable insights into cultural, social and economic histories. Students also enriched their appreciation of historical elements by visiting sites related to famous composers, thus better understanding their environments and circumstances.

The Haydn Year Tour started at a most significant performance venue—Esterházy Palace at Eisenstadt, near Vienna—where Haydn was the music director for nearly 30 years. Special arrangements were made by Professor of Music Orcenith G. Smith, conductor of the Chamber Symphony, for the group to have a rehearsal in the Haydnsaal, the auditorium where Haydn's music was often premiered during the late 18th century. Although the Haydnsaal is not heated in the winter months and performances are not given there, the students were allowed to make music on that stage by donning winter jackets, hats and even gloves. After some "warm-up" time, they then recorded the third movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 95, part of their tour repertoire. Despite the chilly temperature, the opportunity to make music onstage in the Haydnsaal, one of the most famous concert halls in the world, was an eye-opening experience for the students. This was followed by a concert on Palace grounds in The Orangerie, which was warmly received by local residents of Eisenstadt.

Reacting to all the concert audiences, senior trumpeter Garth K. Anderson (shown below, on left, in the famous Haydnsaal) said, "The Austrian crowds received our performances with such a great appreciation for the music we performed. They listened actively and intently, giving us very spirited applause. It is always great to be received so warmly."

A full house of 200 enthusiastic audience members attended the orchestra's second concert in a famous resort in Baden, Austria. The performance, sponsored by The Lion's Club of Baden, was greeted by rousing applause and cheers to selections, including the encore of Johann Strauss. Following their final performance, each member of the orchestra received a personal bouquet on stage. The unusual bouquets were actually candies made to look like a flowers.

After a bus ride to Salzburg, the DePauw Chamber Symphony performed a specially arranged concert at the Mozarteum, Salzburg's University of Music and Dramatic Arts, one of the most prestigious conservatories of music in the world. The students performed in the Solitär, the newest concert venue at the Mozarteum and the first performance by an American university orchestra. Still excited by their earlier performance in Baden, the Chamber Symphony students felt they performed at a high level for a very discriminating audience at the Mozarteum. The students were awe-struck by the beauty of the new space—its rear all-glass wall looking out upon the city of Salzburg.

The orchestra's last concert took place in an Alpine ski resort community, Werfenweng, south of Salzburg. Prior to the concert, the Orchestra members ate in a beautiful chalet-styled restaurant where the view of the nearby Alps provided a perfect backdrop. After the mayor of Werfenweng introduced the DePauw Orchestra, the concert sounds filled the small Festhall, and the audience again showed a great appreciation for the students' musical talents.

First-year violinist Esther Y. Shim enjoyed what she thought was a sense of real communication in response to the student musical efforts, saying, "It was such a wonderful experience to be able to connect with our Austrian audiences through music— the international language."

The demands of daily concert performances while abroad were rigorous, but students attained musical skills from the intensity of the schedule.

Junior clarinetist Andrew S. Porter commented about how he benefited from the tour, saying, "We had four concerts in the roughly five full days spent abroad. This was literally a marathon of concentration for us as college-level musicians. With this in mind, I am extremely happy to have taken part in this ensemble tour, and it will definitely serve as a major highlight of the time I spent at DePauw."

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