Students Perform in Vienna and Venice
Members of Rivers’ Upper School Orchestra, Honors Big Band, and Men’s and Women’s choruses spent an exciting week performing and sightseeing in Vienna and Venice. During the trip all of the ensembles performed in both cities to enthusiastic audiences and students were able to sample the local music scene as well as the local cuisine. Go to @riversschoolconservatory on Facebook to see photos and videos of the trip.
The group departed on Monday, March 12, just ahead of one of the March nor’easters, arriving in Vienna on a sunny day in the 50s. They checked into the Hotel Zipser, explore Vienna, and enjoyed Viennese fare as they adjusted to the time. The following day, they met their local guide for a morning walking tour of inner-city Vienna, specifically tailored to the musical interests of the group with lots of information about Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss. After an afternoon tour of Schonbrunn Palace, several students and faculty got rush seats (standing room only) to Puccini's opera La Boheme at the Vienna State Opera House and four of them are topping off their evening with Mr. Crettien at a nearby jazz club (checking out the local talent).
Thursday was a work day with rehearsals at the Aera Café in the morning for everyone, and a rehearsal and concert for the Chamber Orchestra and Vocal ensemble at the Innercourt of the HausderMusik or House of Sound in the afternoon. After a visit to the Soundmuseum, the group returned to Aera Café for more jazz rehearsal time and the concert there by the Big Band and Jazz Combo.
“Two excellent concerts today!” emailed David Tierney to parents on Thursday. “The orchestra and chorus performed in the lobby of the Museum of Sound where people passed through and stayed and listened for the whole concert. Both groups (and the chamber ensembles) were very well received and the audience was really enthusiastic. The Aera Café was a great venue for jazz; the Select Combo and Big Band played for about 50 Viennese jazz enthusiasts.”
On Friday the group spent the day travelling from Vienna to Venice via coach, and then by boat to the Hotel Domus Cavanis Venice in Venice.
“We encountered all kinds of weather on our trip through the mountains - rain, clouds, even some snow but things improved in Venice and we had some sun and temperatures in the 50s,” noted Mr. Tierney. “Once in Venice, we walked through St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge area before letting the kids explore on their own and get some dinner.”
Saturday was another working day for the musicians, but not before experiencing Venice’s aqua alta—their highest tides.
“A long, wet, but great day for the kids,” wrote Mr. Tierney on Saturday evening. “We did indeed experience significant flooding in St. Mark's Square where we had our walking tour with views of Doge’s Palace, the Piombi Prison and St. Mark’s Basilica. Our guide was able to get plastic shoe covers for those who wanted them for 10 euros and we splashed around the square. We had our last two concerts of the trip at Venice’s Music Conservatory Benedetto Marcello, both of which had modest-sized but enthusiastic audiences. We lived-streamed the first concert (Chorus and Orchestra) and already there are over 1,000 views. The jazz concert in Vienna had over 900 views.”
Sunday’s agenda was entirely open, a day to enjoy the city at their leisure, but the rain and wind eventually drove everyone back to the hotel to relax and pack before the return on Monday to Weston—and more snow.
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