As a musician, Christmas time = concert time. In the past 2 weeks, I’ve been involved in 7 concerts. Instead of 7 Swans a-swimming, it’s my head that’s swimming after organizing rehearsals and getting myself to concerts!
1. Wednesday, Dec. 1 – Nursing Home – This was a practice Christmas concert for all the BFA orchestras. There was beautiful winter weather outside, which provided the right atmosphere for Christmas music inside. It was the first time the Beginners had ever performed!
2. Saturday, Dec. 4 – Stadtmusik Kandern Jahreskonzert – My second Christmas concert with the community band. We had an excellent piano soloist in the first part of our concert. Typical German concerts have long intermissions with drinks and food. I’m starting to get used to this idea of getting a real break in the middle of a concert! Another cultural item of note – German audiences expect at least one ‘Zugabe,’ or encore, so we gave them 2!
If you can read German, here’s an article on the concert.
3. Sunday, Dec. 5 – BFCF prelude – A few students and I played Christmas carols before the Black Forest Christian Fellowship church service.
4. Saturday, Dec. 11. – Markgräfler Symphonieorchester #1 – My first concert with the Müllheim orchestra! We opened with a Cherubini overture. The soloist did a great job on the Brahms concerto (and Elgar Salut d’Amour as a Zugabe/encore), and we played Beethoven’s 7th symphony on the 2nd half (with 2 encores – Elgar’s Nimrod and Mendelssohn’s chorale ‘Now Thank We All Our God’).
5. Sunday, Dec. 12 – BFA Christmas Concert – All the music groups at BFA performed in this colossal concert. Many thanks to Hans Fung for videotaping the performances and putting them on YouTube!
A flute trio performed, then interim director Phil Peters gave a welcome in both English and German. Principal Laird Leavitt prayed, and then the concert was off to a start with the Music Appreciation class performing ‘Chomp, the Christmas Stomp.’
The high school choir led a sing-along as the stage was set up for ensembles. The piano classes and guitar class performed. Then Beginning Band and Orchestra had their respective debuts on the BFA stage!
Beginning Orchestra:
Jingle Bells, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night (notice that when I had them stand up after Silent Night, the boy on the left scurried off the stage. He skipped with joy, making the whole audience laugh!)
Intermediate Orchestra:
The First Noel, What Child is This, We Wish You a Merry Christmas
High School Orchestra:
Andante from Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, Shepherd’s Hymn from Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, and Fandango Asturiano from Rimsky-Korsakoff’s Capriccio Espagnole
Intermediate and HS combined: African Bell Carol
The Middle School and High School choirs sang, and Phil Peters closed out the night with a prayer. Before the concert was over, I had left for the next one!
6. Sunday, Dec. 12 – Markgräfler Symphonieorchester #2 – Same as the first concert, except this one was my second concert of the day!
Click here to see an article (in German) with more pictures!
7. Tuesday, Dec. 14 – Nursing Home Party – The folks at Luise Klaiber Haus invited us to play at their party. As it is finals week, I asked some staff members to play instead of trying to pull kids away from packing and studying.
Here’s my Zugabe for you (you thought you were done with the concerts, right? Wrong!)
I almost had an 8th concert last Thursday, but I missed the Wednesday rehearsal due to an orchestra rehearsal in Müllheim. The brass players from Stadtmusik Kandern played at the official opening of the Weihnachtstraße (‘Christmas street’).
This Thursday I should be joining them on tuba.
