The schedule today is a copy of our morning two days ago when we played our Adjudication Concert. Breakfast early, and then individual tuning; the short bus ride to the Austria center, more tuning, and a short warm-up in the rehearsal space. A look at the day's performance program tells us that in our category there are only two groups remaining: Charlottesville High School and the Chamber Strings of Melbourne, Australia. We see that we are scheduled to play right before them, and decide to move to the audience space immediately after playing so we will have a chance to hear them. Unfortunately our own preparation time has already precluded us from hearing any of the band or choral performances, but we will be able to hear all the orchestras, both string and symphonic. There is little left to rehearse in Copland's Hoedown. Laura runs through it and discusses a few very minor adjustments. The group moves to the performance stage and plays it with gusto. The audience today is quite different from two days ago. The hall is full and the crowd is lively, and they respond with equal gusto.

We check tuning in the hall	A play-through of Hoedown, and some minor adjustments	Brooke Mahanes is ready to play
Laura takes the podium	CHS plays in the Matinee of Winners	Laura and the Director of the Chamber Strings of Melbourne, Australia

After the performance I get into a conversation with members of the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir from Nova Scotia, Canada. They are surprised to hear that our group comes from only one school. They draw from a 300-mile-long valley and many different high schools. At one point another member of the group overhears our conversation and asks me: "I thought you said this group comes from only one school. That is not true is it?" "Yes," I reply. He shakes his head unbelievingly and says, "you must have some very talented students at that school." I didn't tell him that the school draws from a community of only 40,000, that it is not a music conservatory, and that it has only about 1,100 students. Nor did I tell him that almost 10% of the school was on stage in front of him. However, we did discuss the wide range of ages that fits the definition of "youth" in international competition. Like CHS their group is composed of only high school students, and one of them commented that some of these "youth" groups have guys that are "bald, with glasses." He noted that "the Danish group has several people as old as my father." That is probably NOT true, but the performers do range in age up to the upper 20s. Many of the groups are college level, with some members doing graduate study, and some studying exclusively music.

Today the hall is packed for each performance

Members of the Honour Choir of the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, Canada. They took third place in Mixed Choirs

The audience is enthusiastic, not just for their own musicians, but for them all

Our group enters the audience area and receives another round of applause. The Melbourne Strings, the only remaining group in our category, take the stage and play Vivaldi's Concerto in A-minor--a piece that is very similar to the D-minor Concerto that we played for the judges two days earlier. When they are finished there is thunderous applause. Their technical skill and level of artistry is stunning. I would later hear many comments from the CHS kids about this performance. One said "I'm honored to have played on the same stage as them." Several said something to the effect of "now I know what can be done." Another said to me "I'm ready to go home and start practicing now." In the category of Symphony Orchestras we hear three groups, each superb in their own unique way. Two of them are University Orchestras, one from a music conservatory in South Africa and one from Valencia, Spain. The third is the group from Wales that played so well at the opening ceremonies. After the performances are over Dr. Rainer Bischof, managing director of the festival, addresses the audience. He tells them that the quality level of this festival has taken a noticeable step up. It is the highest ever, he says--so high that they will award several double prizes because groups have scored identical excellent marks. They will also be awarding two grand prizes instead of the usual one because the jury could not settle on a single group.

After some stage setup, and some raucous, rhythmic clapping and singing from the audience, the awards ceremony gets underway. Each prize awarded sends up a roar from the crowd. Some groups wave flags wildly, some break into their national anthems. It is announced that

THE CHARLOTTESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA
WINS SECOND PLACE IN THE STRING ORCHESTRA DIVISION

There is loud applause, and Laura is presented with a beautiful crystal trophy. The Melbourne Chamber Strings take first place in our division, which surprises no one who heard their performance. The whole room, ourselves included, cheer. When all the division prizes are awarded, they announce the winners of the grand prizes. The first is a band from Japan. Each member comes up to receive a medal, and most of them are crying with joy. The second grand prize winner, from a field of phenomenally talented groups, is The Melbourne Chamber Strings! It sinks in that we have taken second place in our division behind one of the ultimate grand prize winners of the 27th International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. The ceremony ends with the Welsh orchestra playing, and the whole room singing, Gaudeamus igitur. It is a rousing finish, with musical groups from all over the world joining voices in a single chorus.

Waiting for prize results the crowd is jubilant, waving flags and singing national anthems	The South Africans parade around the hall with a giant flag	The conductors assemble on stage. Laura is seventh from the right
Laura with the trophy for second place in the string orchestra division. The director of the Melbourne Chamber Strings is to her right	A Japanese band takes away one grand prize	The Melbourne Chamber Strings take the other
Laura with trophy and certificates	The atmosphere on the bus is much more relaxed than a few hours ago	We return to the hotel

At the hotel we have a chance to read the judges comments on our Adjudication Concert. A sampling:

How wonderful to see this big, fine string group! You played well together!

The Vienna Fest congratulates you!

Very nice solos. Well done everyone. Keep up the great work!

Congratulations to all the soloists and to each and every student who spent so much time and effort in this fine accomplishment!

Yours is a strong program to be encouraged!

The Farewell Dinner

After a brief rest at the hotel we head out for dinner in the Rathauskeller, a huge, multi-chambered restaurant in the basement of the Rathaus, Vienna's city hall. The building looks like a huge cathedral, but holds the seat of Viennese government. The first-prize-winning honor choir from Minnesota joins us for dinner in a huge vaulted room. We are seated first and give them a standing ovation when they arrive. At one point they begin singing the Star Spangled Banner and we all rise and join in. It is Mary Boukourakis' birthday and we arrange with the wait staff for a piece of cake with a candle to be delivered to her table. They surprise us with cake and two huge fireworks. It is so dramatic we cannot even set it on her table until the fireworks are finished

A SPECIAL PAGE OF PHOTOS FROM DINNER AT THE RATHAUSKELLER

 The evening ends in the grand hall three stories up in the same building. The hall is about two city blocks long, several stories tall, and is usually used for meetings between ambassadors and heads of state. Tonight it pulses to a rock beat and features strobe lights and colored smoke. Everyone who has participated in the festival was invited to this farewell party. Despite its size, the hall is packed. The CHS students take to the dance floor en masse and really get the party going.

The hall is huge, ornate, and appropriately decorated with flags from all over the world. Tonight the guests of honor are the participants in the Youth and Music Festival

When CHS arrives the music is strong, but several hundred folks are sitting sedately at tables. CHS takes to the dance floor and the party takes off

Emily Thomas wants to disco. She moves through the crowd asking each person she comes to: "Will you dance with me?"

Patty Vandever's Journal Entry for July 14, 1998.

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