This Spring Break, 13 Hathaway Brown eighth graders will travel to Germany and Austria with HB’s Recorder Consort. The ensemble will tour the cities of Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna to perform music in the places where it was composed. These 14-year-old students have been playing together and preparing for this trip for the last two years. Some of the highlights of the March 15-24 trip will include performing at the home of Mozart’s birth and at the Orff Institute in Salzburg.
Middle School Performing Arts Department Chair Deborah Southard is the program advisor who guides the students on the instrument during the school day an in after-school practice sessions. She educates the girls using the Orff Schulwerk philosophy, developed by German composer Carl Orff. The learning environment empowers girls to create their own music and movement, rather than merely reproduce that which has been created by adults.
“This is a pilgrimage every teacher dreams of making,” Deb says. “Paying homage to these influential composers in the places where they once lived and worked is an amazing and even life-changing experience.”
News of the girls' visit is being spread throughout Europe. Check out these posters hanging in Salzburg and Vienna.
The members of the Class of 2017 making the trip are Elise Baker, Margaret Broihier, Maggie Cha, Lane Chesler, Holly Galbincea, Mae Harris, Alexia Jones, Ananya Kalahasti, Hanna Keyerleber, Kayla Miller, Gigi Protasiewicz, Julia Sabik, and Rachel Wang. Their exciting itinerary is outlined below.
March 15 – Friday – Leave Cleveland
March 16 – Saturday – Munich: Perform on Marienplatz as buskers, with proceeds to go to UNICEF
March 17 – Sunday – Salzburg: Perform at Mozart’s birth house
March 18 – Monday – Salzburg: Sound of Music Tour – Perform at Orff Institute
March 19 – Tuesday – Vienna: Perform the HB Alma Mater at Esterhazy Keller
(the music for HB's school song was written by Haydn in the basement there)
March 20 – Wednesday – Vienna: Tour the citMarch 21 – Thursday – Vienna: Perform Beethoven’s music with Musikschule Dobling*
March 22 – Friday – Linz: Perform at Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial
March 23 – Saturday – Munich: Perform and tour Neuschwanstein Castle and Andechs (Carl Orff’s tomb)
March 24 – Sunday – Return to Cleveland
*HB has in place a combined concert and home stay arrangement with these music students. There is much excitement for the concert, which is being advertised all over the region.
