by Giovanna Hughes
Today (July 17) we went to Wroclaw, the location of our second performance! It was a two hour bus ride, and when we got there, we had a workshop led by a band that performs traditional Polish music. They first performed for us, then they worked with us in sectionals, and then it ended with us playing an orchestral arrangement (done by one of the band members) of a Polish piece. Afterwards, we had free time for lunch, then we rehearsed, then had dinner after, and at last performed our second concert in Europe.
The Polish music workshop was really interesting. The band had so much energy when they played, and what especially stood out to me was how loose they were. I am so used to the more rigid nature of classical music, so it was interesting to see the complete opposite of that. Everything they do is so different from what I am familiar with, and, because of that, everything they do seems so impossible to me. One of them told a story of having to play for 20 hours at a wedding with minimal breaks. They told other stories of being expected to play random tunes that people would hum to them by ear. They also mentioned that they would have to find music to play by connecting with people in Polish villages, and I found that especially interesting because, as a classical violinist, my collection of repertoire is massive and easily accessible. Overall, they have such a different experience of being a musician, and I have a lot of respect for them. It does not seem easy, and they are absolutely incredible. I loved getting to see how passionate they are about music, and it was overall really cool to hear about their experience.
Another highlight of today was having the chance to try Polish food. We had too little time for sit-down restaurants in Krakow, and all our big group meals were buffets, so it was not until today that we had time to go to a Polish restaurant. We went to one in the market square of Wroclaw on our break, and everyone in my chaperone group ordered pierogies. They were absolutely amazing; it was, without exaggeration, one of the best meals I
have had in my life. They were extremely filling, despite looking so small, and they were so full of flavor. I am glad that we were able to find time to try Polish food on our last day in Poland. I wish there were more Polish restaurants in the United States.
Then there was the concert. We performed in the National Forum of Music. It was a huge hall, and it had a very resonant sound that was flattering. I had a lot of fun with this concert, as the orchestra was far less nervous given that we had just done a concert the previous day. There is not much to say about the concert aside from that it was wonderful to get to perform in such a beautiful hall with my friends. We did well, and the audience liked us. Between the workshop, pierogies, and this, it was a good day.