Lindbergh High School’s orchestra took its show on the road with two recent performances in Stuttgart, Germany.
From June 14-20, students of all grades in all three of LHS’s orchestras had the chance to present their musical artistry to audiences in the southwestern German city.
The first performance, held on June 16, took place at Das Neues Blarer – House of the Evangelical Church of Esslingen, while the second performance, held on June 18, was at the Mozart Hall in the Liederhalle Cultural Center.
The concert program spanned a broad swath of music: European classics, modern American fiddle and even music from iconic films. Works by composers across the pond, like Bach, Vivaldi and Strauss, were featured alongside tunes by American musicians such as Aaron Copland, Darol Anger and Leonard Bernstein.
Both concerts featured a piece written by George Speckert — a Lindbergh High School alumnus who currently works as a composer in Germany — titled “The Great Missouri.” The LHS orchestra played the second movement of the piece, called “Grand Bluffs.”
When the audience called for an encore, the ensemble performed a Lindbergh favorite: “Roundtable Rival,” an upbeat piece by modern American violinist Lindsey Stirling.
The trip was a collaboration with a Stuttgart youth orchestra called Die Telemänner. The conductor of that orchestra, Steffi Bade-Brauning, reached out to LHS’s orchestra director, Tara Landers, in 2019 with the hopes of putting on a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of the sister cities partnership between Stuttgart and St. Louis.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that concert was postponed until spring 2024, when Die Telemänner crossed the Atlantic to perform two concerts right here in South County. Visiting students stayed with local LHS orchestra families, and Landers says some LHS students have stayed in touch with their former guests over a year later.
This year, Stuttgart returned the hospitality they received from their trip to the States, and LHS students stayed in host homes provided by Die Telemänner.
In addition to performing in Germany, the students had the chance to see the country. This included a trip to the city of Tübingen, a boat ride on the Neckar River, and visits to four palaces: Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Ludwigsburg and Altes Schloss. Students also received tours of the Staatstheater Stuttgart and the Mercedes-Benz Museum, as well as seats for “La Fest” at the German Opera.
According to Landers, LHS plans to coordinate an international exchange every four years moving forward.
“We will have another international adventure in 2029,” she said.
