Activities

Another week has drawn to an end. There is so much going on in the AIMS program that it is hard to keep up with it all. There was another low-key recital on Monday in a nearby hall which I didn't feel I needed to attend. On Tuesday the entire voice/coaching faculty was invited to a rustic restaurant outside of Graz for a special feast, called here a Buschenschank. Nearly everything served is either grown or processed on the premesis -- smoked meats, cheeses, home baked bread, apple cider and apple wine and, for dessert, Apfelstrudel. The restaurant is perched on a hill overlooking a wide valley. It was somewhat cloudy and in the distance the setting sun poured through on the beautiful landscape. It looked like a Tiepolo painting. On Wednesday we had the second orchestra concert. The theme for this one was operetta and musical theater. Only the best students are selected for these, of course. There were excerpts from "Lustige Witwe", "A Little Night Music" and "Kiss Me Kate". The star of the evening was Stacey Stofferahn Uthe, the soprano from the UMKC Conservatory, who sang "Vilja's Lied" exquisitely. The rest of the singing was nothing to write home about -- so I won't. The orchestra opened the concert with the overture to "Der Zigeunerbaron" (Johann Strauss). That was a fitting, though daring choice: the Austrians know how their music should sound and everybody has heard the Vienna Philharmonic play this piece. To their credit, the AIMS Festival Orchestra gave us Strauss with flair and style. The concert ended with a spectacular performance of a suite from "Star Wars". It was a very chilly, rainy evening and there was talk of cancelling the concert. I'm so glad it took place. The venue for the concert was on top of the mountain in the city center which once was crowned by a nearly impregnable fortress. All that is left of it are the foundations (from the 13th century) and these served as the walls for the semi-open concert area. The view of Graz at night is wonderful.
Friday night I was invited, as a guest of the wife of the director of the program, to a musical theater concert presented by select AIMS students at the Palais-Hotel Erz-Herzog Johann in downtown Graz. From the name of the hotel you can tell that it is a fancy place. I don't know who Grand Duke Johann was, but the Austrians love him. Maybe he invented Apfelstrudel or something. The concert was very well done. We then tucked in to an elegant buffet and polished off a few bottles of a Steiermark Sauvignon blanc. A good time was had by all. The AIMS program is designed so that every student with a modicum of talent can find some venue in which to perform. A student who is motivated can benefit greatly from the many opportunities offered here.