Snyder Performs with Students in Germany

Assistant Professor of Music Mark Snyder performed 15 of his original songs with his band Nature Boy Explorer in Schwetzingen Germany, on June 11 and 12 as part of the delegation representing Fredericksburg and UMW in Fredericksburg’s German Sister City.

Senior music major Austin O’Rourke played drums and also sang and played guitar on his own song Almost but Not, which he wrote in his Technology for Musicians course in Spring 2016.

 

2015 music and computer science graduate Becky Brown played harp and performed two of her original songs — Formaldehyde, which was written in her MIDI Composition course, and Underwater, which was written in her Audio Recording course. John White ’13, UMW music major and German minor, played bass.

The performance on June 11 was on the main stage for the annual Spargelfest, which this year was combined with celebrating Schwetzingen’s 1250th year. The performance on June 12 was at Musikschule Bezirk Schwetzingen, which is the local music school.

Dr. Snyder and the students also participated in many of the activities that were planned for the delegation such as lunch and dinners, lectures by Schwetzingen’s archivist, city planner and mayor. The group visited the fire station and participated in the inauguration of the Square of Friendship. The delegation from Fredericksburg consisted of  Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, Cathy Herndon, Jurgen Brat, UMW professor emeritus of German Sammy Merrill, Betty Merrill, UMW Women’s Rugby coach Bill Lucas and UMW Associate Professor of German Marcel Rotter.

In addition to performing in Schwetzingen, the group spent time in Cologne, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Mannheim and Hanover, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Malmö and Scania, Sweden.