Tour blogger Bronwen Maggs reports on a day spent exploring and preparing for a concert at the historic Kurhaus Casino in Baden-Baden…

Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra have relocated to yet another idyllic German town and yesterday, they could already be heard playing by anyone and everyone near enough to the latest hostel. Spirits are as high as ever, but the napping count is definitely increasing as the tour continues.

Once the luggage and instruments were offloaded, warmed up, tuned and then safely stowed in our rooms, some of us headed out to explore our new location, Baden-Baden. A Roman spa town, Baden-Baden is historic and beautiful and having discovered this, there is not one of us who isn’t excited for the second CUSO concert on Sunday. They will be playing in the Kurhaus Casino, home to the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra.

Managing Assistant, Claire Wisener, says “According to their website, the orchestra’s guest books read like a “Who’s Who?” of music history. Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Jacques Offenbach, Johann Strauss, Johannes Brahms, Hans von Bülow, Richard Strauss, Enrico Caruso, Pietro Mascagni, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Béla Bartók and many more famous musicians and composers have been on stage with the philharmonic. It is such an honour for Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra to have the opportunity to play in their home!”

Today, we are all headed to Strasbourg. For another day, much like the one in Wiesbaden, we plan to spend our time taking photos, seeing the sights, eating lots and simply immersing ourselves in the local culture. Watch this space for an update on how it all goes.