For the third time in 16 years, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and Conductor Douglas Nimmo will travel to central Europe on a concert tour through Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Germany. The 73-member ensemble will present 8 concerts while on the 16-day adventure.
Gustavus Wind Orchestra in Rehearsal
The grand cities of central Europe will once again welcome Gustavus’ wind ensemble. Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg. In addition to this grandeur, the wind orchestra will visit Hradec Kralov, considered one of the most beautiful towns in Bohemia, Wroclaw and Kety (Poland) and Pomaz (Hungary).
The ensemble’s first performance is at the St. Simon & Juda Church in the heart of Prague’s old city. This is the first of the “return” concerts for the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and will be followed by a free day in Prague, one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. From Prague, the ensemble will travel north into Poland for visits in Hradec Kralov and Wroclaw.
Leaving the beauty of Wroclaw, the group will travel to Krakow through Silesia and the southern Polish city of Oswiecim, known to the world as Auschwitz, where historians estimate 4 million people perished between 1940 and 1945. Following a visit to the camp and the National Museum of Oswiecim, the Gusties will move on to Krakow for a concert at St. Katherine’s Church and a return concert at Kety’s Parafia Najswietszego Serca Jezusa.
From Poland, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra will travel to Hungary for a clinic/performance exchange at the music school in Pomaz and an evening concert in the Jewel of Hungary, the combined cities of Buda and Pest, on the Danube River. The last day of January will see the band traveling into Austria for its concerts in Vienna and Salzburg, and the final destination of Munich and departure for the States on February 4.
The wind orchestra’s final concert on the tour, its Home Concert, is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Christ Chapel on Saturday, February 13. That performance is free and open to the public.
A complete itinerary for the Gustavus Wind Orchestra 2010 Central European Tour can be found at: http://gustavus.edu/finearts/touringschedule/#gwo and readers can follow the band’s progress through blogs at: http://marketing.blog.gustavus.edu/