Today was a day off for Fortress Brass, so our host, Irina, sent a driver to take us to some of the sights in St. Petersburg that are not within walking distance. Before we left, though, we walked to see the Kazansky Cathedral. This massive Russian Orthodox church was built in the early 1800s to […]
On the train ride from Salzburg, Austria to Sopron, Hungary, I sat down with one of the CSU Faculty Chamber Winds’ oboists, CSU alumni Shane Werts (’13, Music Ed), to talk about the past year, the tour, and his future as a musician. Shane spent the 2013-14 school year teaching band and choir at Gypsum […]
On Thursday, July 17, the ensemble performed their final concert of the tour as part of the Staromestský Letný Festival, in the city of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The festival, in the Zichy Palace courtyard, and other venues around the quaint and popular Old Town, featured artists from Slovakia and abroad. The ensemble’s time […]
Originally a trade route town on the Roman Amber Road, Sopron is a small town of significance near the Austrian border, featuring a center square with medieval and Gothic architecture, interwoven with 1st and 2nd Century Roman roads and ruins. “Ebben az utcàban 1944 majusban es juniusban a zsidok elkulonitese gettó letesitettek. Az auschwitz-birkenauba hurcolt aldozatok emlekere allitotta sopron […]
We spent our last 24 hours in Sopron, Hungary. It is a fascinating city that has felt the most “foreign” of all our recent stops. The city center consists variously of 9th-century Roman ruins, 11th-century medieval walls, and 17th-century Baroque towers and cathedrals. Our first experience in a former Soviet bloc country, we all felt […]
We all travel for the food, right! Socially, economically, creatively, food is at the heart of any culture, and the group has completely embraced the experience. ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ is a true adage here, and with all the walking, due diligence is required. There is a consistent breakfast buffet […]
Our travels have taken the ensemble by plane, from Denver to Iceland to Munich, around Europe by train, both within the cities and between, put a lot of miles on our walking shoes, and even provided some train station practice time. Getting the group of 18 from point A to point B, via public transportation, has been […]
Today we played two outdoor concerts here in Salzburg, one in a picturesque garden once used in the Sound Of Music, the other in a park outside of the Mozarteum. As we walked from one concert to the next, winding our way through idyllic city parks and streets, literally hundreds of years old, it was […]
The ensemble is thoroughly delighted by Salzburg and it’s rich arts culture and history. The fourth largest city in Austria boasts over 4,000 music, theatre, dance, and art events and exhibitions each year, including the famous Salzburg Music Festival. For any group of musicians and music professors, a pilgrimage to the city’s Mozart landmarks is essential […]
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Austrian Alps, were honored to perform many times throughout the festival, and met so many wonderful people. On Thursday, July 10, the ensemble performed an early evening, outdoor concert in the same location, where earlier in the week, we had watched Germany demolish Brazil 7 – 1 in the World Cup. […]
