Cathy Z, if you are around and dry...what kind of pork roast did your mom use in the

Ruth, Ang, what great stories...

While I was not in Munich in 1972, I have been there many times since then and it is one of my top 3 favorite cities. Ruth, what/where was your orchestra? I too was a musician and played in an orchestra in Graz, Austria. We did tours around southern Austria and northern Italy and had such a wonderful time. I was accepted to the Munich Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst as part of a Fulbright award. But alas, the funding was cut for the program that year and the offer was rescinded. Sigh. I also had the wonderful experience to play with the World Youth Symphony for two summers. There were kids from all over the world and it was such an amazing experience. Music truly is the universal language.

 
Isn't it amazing

how the foods can take us back, remind us of those we've lost. They serve as a bridge I think. I totally understand what these foods mean to you. I make my grandmother's recipes with the same feeling.

 
NFRC: Musical Past...

Wow, Richard! Fulbright – what a shame it fell through!

And the World Youth Orchestra – that’s some serious talent!!! I recall watching a documentary about them a number of years ago – one could only dream… :eek:) I can imagine it must have been a fantastic experience for you to be part of such a talented group. (I remember how awestruck I was at my first experience with the youth orchestra – VERY thrilling for me!) These programs that bring together international youth are so great. The cross cultural understanding and goodwill they foster are truly wonderful. It’s only a shame there aren’t more of them to go around…

As for me, I was part of the Edmonton Youth Orchestra (zweite Geige) – a symphony orchestra that was comprised of 94 kids between the ages of 13 and 21.

What was your instrument?

 
Edmonton, eh? Do you happen to know

John Jowett? I went to school with him at Juilliard in the early 80's. He played trombone. That was my instrument as well. Yeah, the Fulbright disappointment was awfully hard to take. It would have been a dream come true to study in Munich for a year. I was hoping that I would have made enough connections that I could have found a job and stayed over there. I did take several orchestral auditions in Germany, but at the time, there was a backlash against Americans, particularly brass players, because we were starting to fill up a few too many seats in the German orchestras and they didn't like that.

 
NFRC: More musical reminiscences...

No, I don’t know John. I googled his name – is he the one involved in jazz? My sister, who has a much larger circle of friends and acquaintances in the music world, might though…I’ll have to remember to ask her. (She followed me into the youth orchestra and was Concert Mistress in her last year.)

Two of the brass players, that were part of my group, are still playing professionally in the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra: Jerry Onciul (French horn) - was my seat-mate on that European bus tour; and Chris Taylor – plays bass trombone.

My dad is a self taught trombonist and played in a non-professional band for decades. I really hated to see him retire – he loved it so much. And I can tell you…it was quite a spectacle to see us play together, as we often did - all three of us crowded around a single music stand – him book-ended by the 2 violins. I think people would hold their collective breaths thinking we would surely get entangled! Somehow, despite all that perpendicular motion going on, we never did. What a shame we didn’t have video cameras in those days…LOL!

How in the world did we get from sauerkraut to music?!? Lol…that sounds like the title to a play or maybe a cookbook…

By the way, have you spent time in Canada - eh? ;o)

 
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