Austria Update: Lexie Rice
Mar 14This journey so far is one that will change my life forever. The moment I got off the plane from the nine hour flight, I was immediately intoxicated by the Austrian atmosphere. The Austrian manner was so noticeably different from America’s. Aspects like the signs written in German, the rules of the road, all the way down to the pavement of the streets. We started off our trip by being the first high school choir to sing the Mozart Requiem in its entirety at the St.Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. That was an amazing feat in itself. Paying audience members and the orchestra players were so impressed by the quality of our choir, that there was an enormous applause continuing even after we walked off the stage. Tears were running down our faces and the audience’s faces. I left the cathedral feeling as if that experience alone was enough to last a life time and that I could fly back home right now feeling more than satisfied. Then I remembered that we have eight more days in this beautiful country! The next day we took a tour of Vienna and learned a lot of history about this city and the musicians that lived in it. At one point we stopped to sing in the Josefsplatz court yard of the Hofburg Palace. Our performance attracted a crowd of people. Our sound filled the entire courtyard, and rang throughout the city when we were finished. I can proudly say that Staley High School has left its mark on Austria. Our first few experiences the past two days have been amazing, and I’m so excited to continue on this...
Austria 2016 Updates!!!!
Mar 13The beauty of Vienna has inspired me every moment since I’ve been here. I have loved walking through the streets, listening to the native speakers as they go about their lives, and learning more history than I ever thought could be possible from one country. It’s absolutely incredible. But my favorite moment, without contest, was our performance last night in St. Stephen’s cathedral. For all parties involved, there was no argument that our performance was simply magical. For spectators, they witnessed a high school choir (which in itself is uncommon, as music is not practiced in schools here in Europe) sing the Mozart Requiem at such an incredibly high level, something I’m sure they weren’t expecting. For us, despite the fact that we had been up for basically 30 hours with minimum amounts of sleep, we sang the piece better than we ever had before. Personally, it was something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. While I was singing, I came to realize exactly where I was and the significance of it. The beauty of the cathedral around me along with the sounds that were being made, made last night a once in a lifetime experience for me and I’m sure for everyone else there. I couldn’t imagine a better way to start off the trip, and luckily for us, we have another week to make many more memories. I can’t wait to see what’ll happen next! -Alayna...