| Put
October 23-25, 2009 on your calendar today! A music-filled trip to the
past to enjoy Dvorak's music in Spillville, Iowa is in the planning
stages. Spillville is a Czech town where Dvorak spent the summer of
1893 and composed two of his most famous works, the “American” String
Quartet and the String Quintet. You can choose from an historic hotel,
bed & breakfasts, and other lodging for this "self-drive" trip to
the rolling hills surrounding the Turkey River valley of northeast
Iowa.
On Friday, you will arrive in time for possibly a
faculty concert at Luther College that evening. Supper and shopping
prior to this concert is on your own.
Saturday is packed with
activities and free time with an official welcome at the Old School,
followed by an historical background lecture on Dvorak. Before lunch
of chicken noodle soup (homemade), chicken salad sandwiches, with a
cookie for dessert, a tour of the Bily Clocks, Dvorak Museum, and the
Riverside Park, along the Turkey River, where the Dvorak Plaque is
located is planned. In the afternoon, a guided tour of the famous
Cemetery of Iron Crosses at the St. Wenceslaus Church will wake us up
in time to hear a short lecture on string quartets and quintets with a
question and answer period. Late in the afternoon, we will have an
opportunity to hear organ music followed by Dvorak's famous American
String Quartet and String Quintet by guest artists and Luther College
faculty. The opening pieces of the concert will be played on the organ
Dvorak played every day. The musicians performng will be a faculty
organist from Luther College and the Luther College Faculty String
Trio, joined by violinist Aimee Kreston, Concertmaster of the Pasadena
Symphony and violist Andrew Picken, Assistant Principal Violist of the
Los Angeles Opera Orchestra.
A "Meet the Artists" Reception
will begin the evening's festivities in the Old School with punch,
cheese, sauerkraut crisps (local favorite!), crackers and fruit.
Following the reception, a traditional Czech (Bohemian) dinner of roast
pork, dumplings, gravy, sauerkraut w/caraway seed, salad, kolaces,
rohlicky, poppyseed cake, and beverages will be served.
Sunday
morning can be spent as you wish--church, visit to Seed Savors,
Vesterheim Museum, or just sleep in. There is a possibility of an
afternoon concert again with the Luther faculty.
Further
details will be available as we finalize our plans. For more
information, watch the newsletter and web site, or call us at
920.748.9398. |
