Went for this Bach und Jazz concert at Heiliggeistkirche in Heidelberg almost straight after returning from Freiburg.. Met up with Icy (3rd pic), a Hongkong-er from my music class.. It's so nice to be attending a concert with someone. =p (remember by solo appreciation of Scarlet Pimpernal... she was in berlin at that time) The organ looks fantastic with the horizontal trumpets and the added lights..

The concert was about 4 hours long with breaks in between.. First was a solo organ concert, followed by a few pieces by a jazz band (really really good), then a scared choral jazz thingie (choir.. erm... not so good), then lastly... and most enticingly is an organ and saxophone duet. The last segment started only about 1045pm.. Was quite sleepy already, but the music was so good.. that we just stayed all the way.. Took the last bus back at 2355hrs..


Icy and I outside the Musikwissenschaft Seminar entrance.

oh the life. =)

Freiburg, Neuf Brisach, Colmar and Breisach

from 17-19 July....

In Freiburg, at the top of the Münsterturm.. (i think that's what it's called) .. Climbed up all 200 over steps with my backpack because I forgot that all Hbfs have locker facilities.. :S .. it was. a workout. But the view was really great though. Windy too. It's really worth the climb sans backpack.

Took the Schauslandsbahn from some outer area of Freiburg. It's a 25 mins (one way) long cable car ride all the way to the top of i-don't-know-where. But all in all, the view was fantastic and the weather was really good. Didn't manage to spend a great amount of time there though. Had to take the 25 mins ride down again to catch the bus back to Freiburg... so that I can take a train to Breisach.. so that I can take a bus to Neuf Brisach. =)

More on Neuf Brisach later, but we're now in France, past the river Rhine (really great view as well.. it's like something out of a picture). Arrived there at about 17++hrs and was immediately ushered  off to a 2 hrs organ lesson. =)

This is a cathedral in Colmar. St Martins I think. Colmar's a really nice town with old buildings a-plenty. Went there on the 18th, after organ practice in the morning and a short lesson. Then went back to Neuf Brisach to practice some more.. before going over to my teacher's for dinner.

About the teacher's house: It has 2 grand pianos, 1 harpsichord, 1 pipe organ, and 3 clavichords.

*GASP.

ya i know.

It was a really cosy place. Self-designed and built. (wow right) His garden's filled with lavender and rosemary plants.. even a self-dug pond.. and his 2 cats! Bibi and John. John's a really really fat cat. 

He invited another student of his, David, and other friends over as well. And his wife's a superb cook. It was a really good gathering... and I'm definitely, already, missing the times in Neuf Brisach...

This is the organ in Neuf Brisach that I practiced and had lessons on. It's a fantastic organ with excellent balance and sensitivity to touch... spent... hours and hours practicing in the three days there..

Here's a cathedral from Breisach, where the train station is.. My teacher dropped me off at the French border and I walked over to the German side of it... albeit with a heavy heart after saying goodbye.. I guess it's suddenly hitting me that I am truly going to leave. Really really soon. Even as I blog now, I really should be cleaning my room in preparation for the move to Leipzig. oh dear.

all in all... totally memorable trip.

Johanneskirche - Neuenheim, Heidelberg.

Introducing my practice venue, which I visited for the last time yesterday morning. I spend most of my tuesday and friday mornings there, save for the times I'm out of Heidelberg. The church's really nice (people and building alike) and I know I'll definitely miss collecting the key from the lady at the pastor's office, who is always friendly and greets everyone with a smile. And for Herr Seibert, the organist and Kantor at the church. He was really helpful right from the start.



This is the building opposite the church where we have choir practice every Monday night. The soprano ladies are really really nice..

The Scarlet Pimpernel. =D and the city of Ettlingen

secret photos that I took of the musical. hehe. I had thought that it was going to be in English, but alas... no... it was in German. haha. But thankfully I had most of the lyrics of the songs memorised down pat in my head. So understanding wasn't a problem. The set was really simple since it's at the courtyard of a Castle. But there was a lot of symbolism used: a red cloth dragged by actors dressed as executioners to signify the blood shed from the guillotine... etc. A lot of the effect turned out really great. 

This scene is when everyone was trying to guess who the Scarlet Pimpernel really is....

This was when they sang the song 'The Riddle'... a song about trust and conspiracy... really interesting.

And... a little bit of Ettlingen. =) .. This is taken from the cafe I had tea at, while waiting for the musical to start. The whole city of Ettlingen is really really quaint. Lots of cafes such as this, pretty tablecloths and all.. All the roads are old roads... Basically - Quaint.

It's so sad to always have to take pictures like that, but I'm getting really good at it. hehe.. Love the bridge in the background. 

This seriously fascinated me...

organ-related schedule =)

I can't believe i've got only about 27 days before i'm back in laksa-land.

WHICH ALSO MEANS: 27 day more (ONLY) of ORGAN-LAND.

:S .... if i could rearrange the world, i'll pack all the food and loved ones of singapore and all the organs and music of europe onto a cosy island. right now, my immediate desire is to pack the organ in peterskirche and my organ teacher into a dhl box and ship them back to singapore. (but no, that will be torture. not the pack-in-a-box part, but the lack-of-organ-music-culture-in-singapore part)

anyways....

I'll be going to freiburg and some other place in france from the 17th-19th of July for an organ tour. =) .. yummy.

Then off to Leipzig on the 20th for Euroarts music festival. Looking forward to the chamber music classes and all the concerts. It'll be really nice i think.

more updates later.

PIPES RULE! =D

Brugge and Brussels... 20-22 June

Spent a weekend in Brugge and Brussels.. mussel and chocolate fun. =)

some church in Brugge...

a posed photo of me stealing kanna's waffle. really. it's posed. i have my own waffle. don't need to steal his. =p 

because i was obsessed with the ribbon rose that i made in a pub. =p .. it's pretty right? =D

Mussels!! yummy. 

the 4 girls. =) ..

a big thank you to our hosts from brussels, exchange students and kanna's friends. Thank you all so much for your hospitality and for being such wonderful people, bringing us around and all.. (and pan pan, for zettai kareshi!! =p .. heh! i'm telling the whole world, as i know it, to watch it now.)

The Scarlet Pimpernel

To all my dear musical-fanatic friends (to Steph in particular. =p )...

I'm going to watch The Scarlet Pimpernel on the 9th of July!! =D yeah! Couldn't find it on the West End... but here it is! an hour away from Heidelberg. =) .. yeah yeah yeah.