The choir participated in the noontime mass, singing Finzi, Palestrina, di Lasso, and Bruckner, at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. After the service, a hearty crowd gathered to stay to hear the beautiful 40-minute concert. The photo shows the Romanesque and Gothic architecture with thick stone walls and large windows, which were covered with colored gels for the celebration of Pentecost.
Many immediately recognized the inside of this abbey from the wedding scene in the movie “The Sound of Music.” The choir sang a few selections to test out the sonorous acoustic – it was quite a treat!
As part of the concert at the Mozarthaus, we had the pleasure of hearing a local choir that performed several numbers for us. It was a lovely opportunity to share cultures through song. Pictured here are Dr. Thornton and the director of Die Kirchenchor St. Gilgen.
The choir performed a wonderful concert at the Mozarthaus, the birthplace of Mozart’s mother.
We have barely begun and what a great trip it is already turning out to be. We all arrived safely at the airport yesterday evening and boarded Lufthansa. To our chagrin we discovered that Dr. Thornton had more than prepared for the trip by dressing to match the airplane’s upholstery! After we took off late in the evening from a miserably rainy Logan airport we were greeted in the skies by a fantastic sunset, a beautiful farewell for us from the states.
The crew warmly welcomed us aboard with tea and coffee before we set out for a much needed rest on the plane; by the time we arrived in Munich it was already 9:35am the next day and we had lost 6 hours of the night. On the ground we were greeted by Karel, our tour guide for the trip, brandishing a sign for UMass chamber choir as high as his short stature allowed. He safely guided us to the bus
and promptly began to tell us all about the history of the city, from its roots as a fortified city in the separate nation of Bavaria to the history of the famous Glockenspiel in the town square (which we will hear played tomorrow). After familiarizing us enough with the city, Karel sent us out on our own to explore. Needless to say we were giddy with excitement as we tried to take in all the sights at once. The streets
were filled with old buildings and hardly any skyscrapers, making the steeples of the churches tower above anything else. Once inside some of these older buildings, we were greeted by shops full of trinkets, large halls with food and live music, and amazing looking meats and pastries. After several hours of pictures, food, and exploring, we returned to the bus and made our way to the hotel Ibis, where we caught up with the few members who had traveled to Munich ahead of us. Now most of us are sneaking in a quick nap to make up for the 6 hours we lost before enjoying dinner at 7pm tonight, where we will discuss all that is planned for us tomorrow!
