One of my first stops when I am lucky enough to visit Vienna is the bulletin board of the biggest and most central branch of the Vienna Conservatory.  Concerts at all three locations are always posted.  Before I buy any tickets for musical performances, I check out these free concerts.

The audiences are usually quite small; the visitor rubs shoulders with friends and family of the performers and their professors.  The students are excited about their accomplishments, relieved when they finish, and glad to have a few more hands applauding in the audience. I’ve seen fabulous performances of opera arias, piano concertos, string quartets, clarinet and flute solos, and sublime violin and cello combinations. I once saw a young percussionist play a solo piece, about 15 minutes long, which used every single orchestral percussion instrument. His kettle drum made sounds I had no idea a drum could make.

I will admit that given the chance, I will probably never again attend an evening of trombone solos.  Mostly, though, I have to say, in the words of Joni Mitchell, “They played real good for free.”

Vienna is a musical city; it’s fun to hang out with young people who are there to play beautiful music.

Join me next time for more explorations in the art and history of Europe!