CHS Orchestra European Tour--July 7 to 17, 1998

July 13, 1998

 

SCHEDULED EVENTS: Morning city sightseeing tour of Vienna, including sites along and within the "Ringstrasse:" the Vienna State Opera, the Hofburg Palace, the Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History, the Parliament, and the City Hall. The highlight of the tour will be the royal apartments of the magnificent 1400-room Schonbrunn Palace.

 

Vienna City Tour and Schonbrunn Palace

This is the day we wait to hear if we will be invited to the "Matinee of Winners". Luckily we have the wonders of the city of Vienna to take our minds off the whole issue. We take a city tour that is alternately astounding ("The Hofburg Palace on your left contains approximately 2500 rooms") and entertaining ("on your right the city police station in a postwar highly functional style"). We then stop for an extended tour of the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Hapsburg Emperors and Empresses. Compared to the Hofburg it must have seemed downright Spartan with a mere 1400 rooms to its credit. Similar to the Votivkirche, this palace cannot be captured in one shot.

PANORAMIC IMAGE OF THE SCHONBRUNN PALACE
(Approximate download time at 28.8 is 35 seconds)

One student is overheard saying "I thought that would be boring, but I kind of liked it." We return to the hotel where we are all set free to explore the city on our own. At least one (very small) group rents bikes and takes a strenuous ride out from the city center and then back to the riverside where they go for a swim. Many walk into the city center to visit St. Stephen's Cathedral. A large contingent goes shopping.

 

Christen McArdle at the breakfast buffet. Our breakfast each morning in Vienna has been good, but always exactly the same

Julie Stoessel

Half a parking space? No problem when you have half a car.

Dinner and Prater Park

We reassemble from our far-flung pursuits and have dinner together. Today is Elisabeth Westberg's birthday and her mother has sent Orchestra "mom" Pam Gibson with supplies for a small party. During the day Pam has searched for just the right Viennese cake to put under the candles brought from home. She has chosen a Sacertorte and we bring it to her table, with candles blazing, as Happy Birthday is sung. After dinner we have a little down time before we head out for Prater Park, Vienna's riverside amusement area. The Ferris Wheel that dominates many of the views in Vienna has been discussed several times on our tours. It revolves quite slowly, and you ride in enclosed cars, some of which contain tables and chairs. Rumors travel through the group about what the tour guides have said about "war damage" to the wheel and whether it was ever repaired properly. Ooooooh, we're gettin' scared now.

The favorite attraction at the park is clearly the bumper cars, which Melisa Davis swears travel twice as fast as the ones in the US. At 8:30 we return to the busses where we have been told we will hear whether we will be playing again the next day at the "Matinee of Winners." Word has traveled through the chaperones that "Matinee of Winners" may be somewhat of a misnomer. The rules seem to be this: the jury invites each group that it considers "strong" to the matinee. If several in one category fit that description they will all be invited, but only one will win the category prize. We do not expect to hear about prizes tonight, but only whether we will be invited to play again in the morning. Laura Thomas boards the bus to tell us that our call to the festival is inconclusive. They have asked us to call back at 9:00. She requests that we gather in the hotel lobby where another call will be placed to the festival.

Shoes are fairly inexpensive in Vienna. Jenna Pritchett takes advantage of the situation to pick up a pair she probably can't find in Charlottesville

Susanna Payne

Elisabeth Westberg is the birthday girl today

Susannah Hewlett and Mollie Trom contemplate riding the 200-foot-tall Ferris Wheel in Prater Park

Helen Gibson at the top of the ride

The bumper cars seem faster. We have heard that the Europeans do not regulate their society by means of the lawsuit. Hmmmmm.

Hannah Garrity and Jack Higgins on the midway

Melisa: those bumper cars were fast!

Annie Holt and Emma Aller enjoy a snack at Prater Park

We arrive at the hotel and gather in the lobby. The phone call to the festival is placed by Andreas, our tour guide. He calls Laura Thomas over to the side of the room where they talk for several anxious minutes. Laura comes back to the group and announces THAT WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO PLAY in the matinee. Cheers erupt. When she can quiet the group down she reports that the jury has asked us to play our most American piece, "Hoedown" by Aaron Copland. She is also careful to point out that an invitation to play in the matinee does not mean that we have won a prize. It is, itself, an honor, but the prize information is yet to come. The group returns to their rooms to check uniforms and turn in early.

 

We will be playing in the Matinee of Winners!

Laura Thomas announces that the jury has requested that we play "Hoedown" by Aaron Copland

Devin Malone and Andy Thacker form an impromptu jug band using their bottles of mineral water

Patty Vandever's Journal Entry for July 12-13, 1998.

 

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