Submitted by Ryan Schultz on the 2013 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Music…
A massive applause filled Barbican Hall as the orchestra played its final chord with brilliance. What an incredible opportunity it was to see such an incredible group of musicians perform such technical, difficult, powerful, and inspiring music from composers who are relatively new to the scene as well as England’s greatest. London is such a unique city because it is able to support five incredible symphony orchestras. Most cities only have one symphony orchestra and several struggle to survive. What makes London so special to be able to have five successful, well-known orchestras? This is the intricate mystery I will be trying to solve while studying and hearing these orchestras perform. The orchestras I will be hearing perform are the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic.
Last Friday evening, January 11th, I went to my first concert performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. I had been so excited for months to hear these ensembles perform live and so far it is everything I had hoped for. I believe there is a big difference between listening to a recording and going to a live performance, seeing it live has a greater impact musically on me. The program was a great combination of modern instrumental techniques, sound effects, and harmonies from Anna Clyne to the rich, glorious, and substantial English classics from Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar. Barbican Hall is a massive and gorgeous performing center. The shades of wood paneling make the hall warm and welcoming with comfortable and firm seating. I was so upset when the performance was over because I was so comfortable and it is such a beautiful hall with great acoustics, by far the nicest performing center I had ever been in. 
Classical music is so well preserved and charismatic throughout the city of London. One can easily find a concert to attend on any given night for a great price. I had the opportunity to see the Royal College of Music perform Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and what an amazing performance the students put on. The Rite of Spring is an extremely difficult piece to perform. It takes a very talented and daring group of musicians to play such a piece and those students put on quite the performance. I could swear that those students eat raw meat for breakfast because the sound they created was beastly!! I was so fortunate to have been able to get a seat because that was a performance I will never forget. Being a brass player, I was blown away and in love with the crisp, powerful, and magnificent sound of those students. It is my dream to be able to perform at that level. What is even more incredible is that there are so many more ensembles and venues within London to see, at such an affordable price. There is not a better city in the world to hear the best of classical music.