Author Archives: David Nelson
Day 12 – Antonin Dvorak and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Antonin Dvorak is the best-known Czech composer. We started our Friday in Prague at the Dvorak Museum with a guest lecture by Dr. David Beveridge, a Dvorak scholar and a longtime friend of mine. The museum had been undergoing some … Continue reading
Day 11 – Travel to Prague
Thursday morning was spent on our chartered bus for the four-hour trip to Prague. About halfway there, it started snowing and pretty soon there were a couple of inches on the ground. Fortunately the snow stopped by the time we … Continue reading
Day 10 – Historic Instruments and a Modern Orchestra
Wednesday in Vienna, our last full day here, started with historic instruments and ended with a performance by a wonderful orchestra. The Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments is a large museum of instruments from Antiquity to Today. The strength of … Continue reading
Day 9 – Beethoven’s Life in Heiligenstadt
I led the students on my favorite part of the trip itinerary on Tuesday in Vienna. We take public transportation to the northernmost district of the city, right on the edge of the Vienna Woods. The village of Heiligenstadt is … Continue reading
Day 8 – Cemeteries and Schoenberg
Monday in Vienna started with one of the most moving things I can imagine doing: visiting the graves of the great composers. In the Central Cemetery, one can stand in front of the final resting places of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, … Continue reading
Day 7 – Attending Performances in Morning and at Night
The first full day of the UNCG trip had two performances. I usually don’t like scheduling two musical events in a day, but the opportunity was there, so we took it! Our morning started in the Imperial Chapel to hear … Continue reading
Day 6 – UNCG students arrive in Vienna
Today, at 11:10am, twenty excited UNCG students (plus a faculty member and his wife) arrived in the Vienna Airport for the start of eight fun and musical days in Vienna. Of course, after three flights and little sleep, they looked … Continue reading
Day 5 – Last minute preparations and meals with friends
Today was the final day for me to get everything done before the students arrived: getting Euros to give to them when they arrive, finding a restaurant in Grinzing for a lunch, picking up tickets for the Vienna Boys Choir, … Continue reading
Day 4 – Vienna, “Carmen”, and a Video Blog
Today was a great day! I returned to Vienna, a city that I deeply love and know extremely well. My “to-do” list in preparation for the arrival of my UNCG students on Saturday was very long, but I got almost … Continue reading
Day 3 – Music in Prague
The forecast today said RAIN, but there was not a drop all day. What does a dedicated musician do when he has Prague as his disposal? check out the musical sites, of course, The Czech Museum of Musical History is … Continue reading