Hello from Zagreb!
Where? Wasn’t there a war there? How do you get there? Do they speak English?
I am on sabbatical for the fall semester from Oakland University. As I did on a previous sabbatical, I have chosen to come and live in Zagreb, Croatia for about three months. It will be a life changing experience. But it is so different from the U.S., that even if I were to be here only for a few days, it would still be life changing. I want to encourage you all to do whatever you can to get to Europe at least once in your life.
Europe is the birthplace of our profession. We can all surely recall our music history classes and what we learned about the development of our art. But to actually go to the places we learned about is another thing. I’ve been quite been quite fortunate in that way. I’ve conducted Vivaldi’s Gloria in Vivaldi’s church in Venice, Mozart’s Coronation Mass in Austria, Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus in Rome, and American spirituals to a crowd of over 1,000 in Budapest on the Fourth of July to name a few highlights. Unforgettable experiences all. But there are less tangible experiences to be had in Europe that are perhaps even more valuable.
I discussed international politics with a political science student on a bus in Rome; stayed in the home of a choral director in a small town in Austria who had been a rock star in his country in the 1970s; stayed in a castle with a real prince and princess who had survived WW II. You see, in my humble opinion, what we do as choral directors is really about two things: music and people. It sounds obvious, but it is so easy for us to lose sight of this in the day to day struggle of our jobs. When I think of my time teaching high school in Texas, I don’t remember arguing with my principal about the budget, or being resentful that football was king. I remember my students and the music we made. The same is true of my current job at Oakland University.
And it is certainly true of my experiences in Europe. In 2003 I had the opportunity to conduct my choir in concert in Zagreb, Croatia, a city about which I knew absolutely nothing at the time. After the performance, I met the conductor who was the artistic director for the concert agency that had sponsored our performance. The next morning he asked me to skip our “tourist day” so he could show me the “real Zagreb.” We had a delightful time and struck up a true friendship. He invited me to come back as soon as I could. At that point such a trip seemed unlikely at best, but he persisted and even promised to arrange for me to do concerts with a local choir.
In 2005 I was lucky enough to go to Zagreb for my first sabbatical. I stayed three months and lived in a lovely apartment in the city center. I lived like a native, walking cobblestone streets, riding the tram, and learning a few words of Croatian. I did a concert of American choral music with a wonderful choir and in the process I made many friends for life. Now I’m back here again for the third time. I’m spending time with old friends and meeting new ones. And I’m again sharing American choral music and learning Croatian choral music.
As I write this, I’ve just returned to my apartment after coffee at a sidewalk cafe on a beautiful day with a choral director friend where we discussed the difference in approaches to tone quality between Slavic and American choirs. Of course, we’ve also discussed politics, art, literature, movies, and rock and roll. The same is true with all of my friends here as it has been with all the people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet all over Europe. Tonight I will sit in on some choral auditions. Next week I will see two different performances of the Mozart Requiem. Yes, these are things I can do with my American friends right at home, but here I’m in a different culture. The people here have a different perspective–on everything. I am here for the people and the music and it is changing my life for the better.
In today’s economic climate, foreign travel can be more difficult that it has ever been. Though from my perspective, it is worth every difficulty and every dollar. As choral artists, we owe it to ourselves to have experiences that are vastly different from those we would have at home. I love traveling in my own country, but there is something about spending time in another place—in another culture—that makes me a better person and a better conductor. My wish is for you to have the opportunity to do as I’ve done. And for you to have a wonderful life filled with rich experiences with people and music.
From Zagreb, Dovidenja!!!!
Mike
