Heading out on Thursday, 7/31/14

Heading to the airport! Von Minnesota nach Deutschland!

On our deck in Saint Paul

Romey Homestead in Saint Paul

Great Service - and fast - at the Humphrey Terminal.

Premium Economy on Condor! This is the way to go!

See me waving over the Atlantic?

Big Schiller Shoe!

It seems as though I may be following in the footsteps of 

Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)!  

What is it with the way our paths cross?  Has anyone noticed? 

Fritz Schiller was born near Stuttgart, lived for a time in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart, went to high school in Stuttgart, worked for a time in Frankfurt and from 1788 to 1805 Schiller lived in Weimar, where he worked closely with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Although born in California, I lived in Stuttgart as a high school student when my father ran a music program in Ludwigsburg for American Students. I lived in Frankfurt and in Stuttgart while completing a music degree at the Frankfurt Conservatory. Next week I start a Bach Cantata Project in Weimar!

And that's not all! Not only do our geographic peregrinations overlap, but our musical/literature paths cross as well!

In 1839, the city of Stuttgart erected a statue in Schiller's honor, on what is now known as Schillerplatz. In 1907, St. Paul's significant German immigrant community contributed a statue of Schiller to the City of St. Paul, where it graced the entrance to the city's landmark Como Park. I have lived in St. Paul since 1984, when we moved back to the US from living in Stuttgart! That statue was intended to mark Schiller's literary contribution to the universal values of Brotherhood and Freedom, and Schiller's influence on the philosophy on America's Founding Fathers. Over time, the statue's condition deteriorated, and as a public art project, the statue was restored and rededicated last year.

You may be aware that Germany's "Reunification Anthem" - indeed the Freedom Anthem for a United Europe - is Beethoven's 9th Symphony, which features Schiller's "Ode to Joy" text in the climactic choral fourth movement. I conducted my Minnesota Chorale in "Ode to Joy" on a snowy May 11, 2013 as part of the refurbished statue's dedication ceremony. And that very same "Ode to Joy" figured prominently in our Grammy-nominated Minnesota Chorale recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Schiller Statue in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Kathy Saltzman Romey & Fritz Schiller in 2013 - Who looks better?

Did Schiller want to be an American?   Would America exist without Schiller?

Sabbatical Ahead!

 

It is with great pleasure that I am embarking on a sabbatical adventure!  

I will be on leave from the University of Minnesota during fall semester of 2014. It is my hope that I can use this generous gift of time and travel to refresh my skills and spirit, and recharge my work as Director of Choral Activities at the U of M and Artistic Director of the Minnesota Chorale. In general, my plan is to finish a book project, serve as chorus master for a Bach Cantata Academy in Weimar, Germany, observe several conductors in Europe and the US, research repertoire and develop long-range programming ideas.

Let me express my thanks and appreciation to the many colleagues [at the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Chorale and within the broader community] who have collaborated with me to assure  that my students and singers will be well cared for during my absence!

On July 31, I fly Condor Airlines from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Frankfurt, where I will stay with friends before proceeding to Weimar. There I will spend two weeks working with Helmuth Rilling on a project focusing on the cantatas that J.S Bach composed when he lived and worked in Weimar. Our partner is the local conservatory (the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar) and we will work with an international student ensemble to present a series master classes, lectures and concerts.

After Weimar, I will travel to Stuttgart to continue a book project with Rilling. Additional plans include observing conductors in various cities in Germany, France and Holland before returning to the US in late October. Along the way, I also hope to visit our son Adam in Amsterdam, who will be spending the year in the Netherlands on a bassoon research project.

Click on the link below for additional information about next week's Bach Cantata project:

Link to Weimar Bach Cantata Academy

Weimarer Bachkantaten-Akademie

Meisterkurs Helmuth Rilling
Montag, 4. August – Sonntag, 17. August 
Internationales Bach Ensemble
Kathy Saltzman Romey — Einstudierung Chor
Helmuth Rilling — conductor

 

Memories of my Choirs at the U of M!