Message from the Director
Dear Heidelberg student participants,
Congratulations! You have made a decision to step out of your familiar cultural box to experience a new people, language, and learning environment in the beautiful town along the Neckar river: Heidelberg, Germany.
I’m excited to share a place with you that I’ve come to know and love during the ten years in which I’ve lived and worked in Heidelberg as a professional musician.
In Heidelberg, you will find an inspiring, stimulating atmosphere in which to grow as a musician, with ample opportunities to learn and perform. One highlight of the program is the behind-the-scenes glimpse you will gain into the lives of professional musicians as you study with members of the Heidelberg Philharmonic and other local professionals and hear them making a contribution to the lively concert life Heidelberg and the surrounding areas has to offer, as well as performing in ensembles with talented and committed young German artists not unlike yourselves. Trips to other cultural centers in Germany and Austria with visits to the hometowns and residences of famous composers such as Mozart, Bach, Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Wagner, Strauss, and others will bring to life what you may have only read about in textbooks.
After experiencing the sheer beauty of the landscape with the old town and its cobblestone streets, churches, museums, theaters, cafes and concert halls nestled between the meandering river Neckar on one side and forested hills on the other, you will understand why so many musicians, artists, philosophers and poets have called Heidelberg home.
I’m confident that God will have a hand in your journey and am looking forward to joining you in the semester in Heidelberg. At the end of your 14 weeks here, I’m sure the words of the town’s theme song, “Ich habe mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren,” will resonate in you as well.
Sincerely,
Timothy Schwarz
Director, Azusa Heidelberg Semester
