Archive for Al BehrendsPage 2
Moments from Krakow
Although it’s simple to use the imagery of music as the universal language, it’s so very true. As our time in Krakow came to a close we looked back at the concert at Miechow and its spectacular Basilica and to our return to St. Katherine’s in Krakow. Music is magic and it crosses all ages […]
The Adventure Continues
Once again time is short and the opportunity to add much text to the blog is limited. We’ve made a wonderful transition into Poland and our time with friends who have worked with us since 1994 and our first adventure in central Europe. Our concert on Sunday, as you will see, was a wonderful evening […]
Glimpses (take 2)
A “thousand words” and all that. More from Prague, GWO 2014!
Glimpses of Prague
With wonderful memories of Prague 2014 now a part of GWO’s history, we’ve moved on to Poland and the wonderful people who, like our friends in Prague, have welcomed us for 20 years. However, we can’t move on before sharing with you some of the images of a magical city on the Moldau River. A […]
A Word, Notes and Wishes
The Gustavus Wind Orchestra has its own word. It was created by the current conductor, Dr. Douglas Nimmo, to describe the experience of an international concert tour. The word is ILCHE and it’s heard quite a lot these days around the Schaefer Fine Arts Center and the rehearsal studio 106. It’s a great word and […]
Wind Tour Cues Fienen Return to Classroom
Since 1994, David Fienen has been a fixture on the Gustavus Band/Wind Orchesrtra’s international concert tours, both as a guest performer and as one of the teachers in the January Term course. Although it’s been a few years since he was in the classroom, David finds the fit is still good. As the Gustavus Wind […]
Gustavus Wind Orchestra Preps for European Concert Tour
The longest journey begins with the first step. For the past week, the 68-member Gustavus Wind Orchestra and conductor Douglas Nimmo have been taking those first steps as they are engaged in daily classes, intensive rehearsals, sectionals and private practice. They are taking those first steps on an adventure that will take them on a […]
GSO Day Ten: Even the Stars are Different
Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight…… As the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra returned to Bakgatla Resort on the Pilansburg Game Reserve following its final South African concert on January 30, the stars were brilliant. The resort is, to be polite, a bit removed from the bright city lights of Johannesburg. The moon had […]
GSO Day Seven: A Country of Heroes
“Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” F. Scott Fitzgerald Arguably every country has its heroes. Children grow up learning the names and deeds of their nation’s heroes. In Johannesburg this morning, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra learned something of the South African heroes who changed the course of a nation and are […]
GSO Day Six: The Adventure Continues
The sun rose once again over Table Mountain in a cloudless sky as the Gustavus Symphony prepared for its final hours in Cape Town on Day Six in South Africa. The city and its people have been warm, gracious and accommodating, and we know that we will miss our new friends and, especially our two […]