February 2nd, 2019 was the best day of my life— the day the LCSO performed in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Our day began with a three-hour rehearsal in the hall from 10am to 1pm. I had been in the hall before from attending concerts throughout the month, but entering onto the stage for the first time was almost an out-of-body experience: how was I allowed to be up there? A student, barely in her twenties from the Midwestern United States gets to perform with her college orchestra at one of the most important concert halls in the world? I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement and gratefulness upon setting foot on that stage before rehearsal. As I warmed up on stage, I noticed how rich and resonant my sound felt as it echoed through the hall. Others were warming up too, and the melodies of everyone on stage were melding together in the most pleasant way possible. The acoustics felt perfect in this room, and I was looking forward to hearing what our orchestra would sound like as a whole in the space. 

The rehearsal went by quickly— I wanted to stay in this hall forever. We sounded so warm and lush, and each chord resonated throughout the hall just right: neither too long nor too short of a reverb time. Savannah (principal oboe, senior) and I exclaimed our excitement to each other about the acoustics of the space.  

Rehearsal was over and we had time to kill before our concert at 7:30pm. It was a beautiful day outside, almost 60 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. It was the perfect Saturday. After enjoying the weather, I headed back to the hotel for a nap and some food before we were to load the busses for our concert. 

We arrived at the Musikverein with enough time to take group photos and to sufficiently warm up before the performance. We were all called backstage as Dr. Baldwin gave us inspiring words about what we were about to do. He reminded us that nobody was going onstage alone. As an ensemble we do not let anyone stand alone. We were all going out there together. We were going to share our music with people who were there to appreciate what we had to offer. Feeling encouraged, excited, and a bit sentimental, we began to tune backstage. 

When the moment came, we all walked onstage together. It was exhilarating hearing the audience clap for us— I looked out and saw people filling the entire bottom floor and almost the whole balcony. We later found out that 1200 people came to our concert. We felt welcomed in that hall. After we warmed up and tuned, a brief silence proceeded Dr. Baldwin’s entrance onto the stage. The audience clapped with such enthusiasm that I couldn’t help but feel thankful for Dr. Baldwin and the whole orchestra. 

The performance felt surreal. I personally never played that well before, and the orchestra brought a new sense of musicality to the stage. We became a different orchestra that night— an ensemble that loved every chord that was played, a group that sensed and responded to every nuance. Dr. Kalnin played with such sensitivity and richness during the Mendelssohn, and afterwards he gave a well-deserved encore. After the last chord of our concert rang throughout the hall, the stillness of sound was broken by a vehement applause. We played our encore with energy and good spirit, and the audience responded with that same spirit. 

As we packed up and prepared to return to the hotel, I looked onto the stage for one last time. The large chandeliers were dimming and the seats were now empty. I took in all of the details of the hall before saying goodbye to the Musikverein— the golden pillars that were carved into statutes of muses, the muses that were painted intricately onto the ceiling, the wooden stage, the warm colors. This place has new meaning to me now, and will always hold a special place in my heart. 

-Rachel 

We are now safe and sound back in Decorah, IA. Classes have begun and we are all getting over our jet lag from our travels. Our homecoming concert will be this coming Sunday, February 10th at 7pm in the CFL! We hope you can join us for one last performance of the program we have been playing during our residency. 

It has been a wonderful journey for us— we hope you have enjoyed following our adventures through this blog! 

Danke schön und auf wiedersehen,

Briana and Rachel