Saint Lenny

This is the view from my window of the Heim, the steeple of the Baroque church of Sankt Leonhard. In the previous few years I had a view of the Green Mountains of Vermont from my summer abode. I think this is a fair exchange. I made a brief visit to this church the other day. The facade is unmistakenly Baroque, the back part of the nave is Gothic and the front part is modern. Somehow it all works. In the 17th century it was very common for Gothic churches to be re-done in the newer Baroque style by adding ornate altars and faux columns (Baroque is very big on faux). The modern section would surely be a result of damage from WW II. A bomb fell on the church and destroyed part of it. It was an all too common occurrence.
I discovered the Botanical Garden not too far away. I look forward to exploring the hothouses and the gardens. The neighborhood behind our street is lovely. Unfortunately, the Elizabethstrasse, on which the Heim is located, is a very busy four-lane thoroughfare. Vehicles come racing down the street continuously. You take your life in your hands to get across it.

For the past few days we have been hearing all the vocalists (130 of them) and about a dozen pianists. There are 34 singers in the Concert Studio so, gratefully, I didn't have to listen to all the auditions. Everyone sang two pieces of their own choosing. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of singing; many of the participants are younger, but nearly everyone offers something to work with. The staff are very supportive. When one soprano sang "Vilia's Lied" the entire voice faculty spontaneously joined in during the chorus bit at the end of each verse. Occasionally, when someone is exceptional, there will be spontaneous applause from the 25 to 30 people who are listening. There are three coaches for the Concert Studio and we each have a themed recital repertory list. My colleagues here are friendly and gracious. We were easily able to agree on dividing the students so that each of us has at least one mezzo and one male singer. (From that you may gather that there is a preponderance of sopranos -- and you would be right!) I revised my (rather comprehensive) repertoire list to meet the reality of what I have to work with. I discover that I can still put an interesting program together. The 11 vocalists and 3 pianists I get to work with this summer will present a full-length Liederabend just before the end of the program in August.
The building where we will be teaching is just down the street, in a Volksschule (elementary school). It's an old building with huge rooms and 15 foot high ceilings. Brand new pianos have been moved into the rooms. I have a lovely grand in mine. With the high ceilings and absence of any kind of acoustical material, the sound is quite live. The most modest soubrette, Petunia von Pippskveek, will sound like Birgit Nielson singing in these rooms. I continue to acquaint myself with the large staff, meeting some new people every morning at breakfast: coaches, conductors, voice teachers, language teachers, etc. We're a diverse and interesting group, I will say.