Thinking back on all of the many things that we did as a group in Leipzig, the final concert continues to stand out to me. Not only because the quality of music and musicianship was really beautiful, but also because it felt really special to be able to perform for each other.

Indeed at Princeton, my friends (who aren’t already in Glee) will see me perform if I can convince them to attend a Glee concert, but this final concert felt very different to that in a really good way. I assume that part of the reason this concert felt different was because we were performing a lot of solo and small group repertoire and so it feels much more vulnerable than a large ensemble, but at the same time it feels substantially more intimate. As such, I have to say that I was infinitely more nervous for this performance than any of the other performances I have been a part of at Princeton… however I think that Professor Heller, Professor Rankin, and Dr Ochs had created an environment for the whole Princeton in Leipzig group where the nervousness was once of anticipation and excitement! I think having Professor Heller, Professor Rankin, and Dr Ochs also performing in the concert really helped to solidify the safe and judgement-free performance environment that made the concert so special! I also thought that having many of the other InterDaf students and some of the staff attend was also really sweet!

I also really enjoyed having the ensembles with everyone at the start and end of the Concert! I think it felt very special that despite our different levels of musical experience, we were all able to come together and perform something as a group!