aka: My Austrian Classical Music Adventure


One of the most fantastic corporate perks I’ve ever had was to attend a classical music Festival held by McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s premier consulting Firms. I had the distinct pleasure of being one of their Cloud Engineers for about 3 years.

McKinsey has hosted this for several years, as a quick Google Search reveals.

There is even a Facebook page for the Music Festival that had to be done remotely due to COVID-19

In 2022, I got to go to Kitzbühel, Austria to McKinsey’s Grand Hotel, which is normally used for employee/client retreats and training. My wife and I built a larger European vacation out of this event, totalling 12 days in all, starting in Munich and ending in Salzurg. In the middle of this dream trip, we spent three days rehearsing an elaborate, professional arrangement of an American In Paris, and Mahler 2nd Symphony in C minor / Totenfeier / Ressurection Symphony.

Somehow I had played band and orchestra music for over 40 years without discovering Mahler’s music. I’ve been catching up on his work ever since.

Above is our performance at Hotel Rasmushof, also in Kitzbühel. I am the bassoon player on the right, in the bright red shirt.