15.02. / 16.02. Pittsburgh

It was a long-standing promise that was fulfilled tonight at Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. Years ago, a performance of Bach's B minor Mass by "amici musicae" was planned in Pittsburgh. However, the trip to the USA could not be realized at that time due to financial reasons. Today, the performance took place with great participation from the Pittsburgh audience, who only released us from the church after a long applause and standing ovations.

It was a successful performance and an excellent performance by the ensemble, which arrived from Leipzig just the day before. After a 24-hour journey and a large portion of jet lag, the adrenaline apparently fueled the liveliness that emanated from yesterday's performance of the B minor Mass. With only 18 singers including soloists and 20 instrumentalists, the royal work of Johann Sebastian Bach was wonderfully performed concert style - a piece of "Leipzig Bach" in Pittsburgh.

But let's go back a bit: our trip to the USA started at 2 am yesterday. We took the bus to Frankfurt, where an American Airlines Airbus safely took us over the ocean towards the East Coast at 10:15 am. We had a layover in Charlotte before continuing on to Pittsburgh. The entry was uncomplicated. Our bus driver Paddy, a "Pennsylvanian Original," chauffeured us the last few miles to the church. A little tired but lively and in good spirits, we entered Shadyside Presbyterian Church at 7:30 pm. After a nearly 24-hour journey, we had finally reached our destination.

In theory, we could have given in to the jet lag at this point, but the program for the day was not yet over. We still had a short rehearsal planned. As hard as it was, it was necessary. We were aware that we needed to pick up our instruments again today to try out at least some parts. It would have been too exhausting to postpone everything to the next day, especially since some instrumentalists only joined us in Frankfurt and we had to bring the instruments together at least once. The rehearsal was tough, and the acoustics seemed to swallow us. But we knew what we had to expect for the next day. Exhausted but satisfied, our host families welcomed us, and we promptly fell into bed.

Day 2 started with an extensive dress rehearsal. Today, the huge space seemed to carry us. Quickly, Bach's music filled the Shadyside Presbyterian Church, and the Mass seemed to run on its own. Once again, it became clear how well the ensemble harmonized musically and personally. At 3 pm, our first concert as part of the "Music in a great space" concert series took place. A great audience thanked us with warm applause for a successful performance. The "amici" concluded the evening with their host families or in the nightlife of Pittsburgh.

And here is the video diary:

Day 1: Arrival/Pittsburgh: https://youtu.be/-pq5qIyo-Aw

Day 2: Concert in Pittsburgh: https://youtu.be/aWpyOs6rQQ4