Australia Whenwe thinkof “the landdownunder,” we recall the haunting sounds of the world’s oldest woodwind instrument. The didgeridoo is central to Australian indigenous culture. Musicians mimic the sounds of native animals by blowing through these traditional instruments. The rhythmic tapping of wooden clapsticks sometimes accompanies them. You can hear didgeridoos on some of the Aboriginal Cultural Experiences described in a downloadable brochure on the TourismAustralia website. Tour participants learn about boomerangs, as well as bush food, Aboriginal art, Outback wildlife and traditional Dreamtime stories. Aboriginal Cultural Experience Vienna Boys' Choir Monk musician in Thimphu Temple Musician plays pan music in steel band We encountered classical music throughout Austria — in concert halls, restaurants, hotels, festivals and on street corners. Our most memorable experience was listening to a cellist and two violinists in the elaborate ballroom of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The Blue Danube is sometimes called the second Austrian national anthem. We enjoyed an exquisite rendition of the famous Strauss waltz by the Vienna Boys' Choir. Dressed in blue-and-white sailor outfits, the choir’s repertoire includes madrigals, classic and contemporary pieces, as well as operas. You can hear their clear-as-crystal voices in Vienna’s MuThconcert hall, at Imperial Chapel Sunday services between September and late June and when the choir boys are on tour around the world, performing more than 300 concerts annually. Although most people enjoy local music in theatres and clubs, we discovered that temples were the best places to hear traditional music in Bhutan. In Thimphu Temple, in Bhutan’s capital, we watched spellbound as monks blew horns and beat drums during ritualistic ceremonies. During the annual Thimphu Tshechu fall festival, horns, drums and clashing cymbals accompany masked dancers as they twirl and leap, symbolically stomping out evil spirits. You can’t miss traditional pan music when you visit the Caribbean islands. It’s a highlight of annual Carnivals in Trinidad & Tobago and on other islands, but you can also hear steel band music at the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, North America’s largest cultural festival. Don’t be surprised if the contagious beat inspires you to dance. Musicians play a variety of genres on steel pans— from jazz to classical music — but calypso is the most popular. We heard impressive pan music performances at the Barbados CropOver Festival, where crowds fill stadiums to watch steel band competitions. Austria Bhutan Caribbean CSANews | SPRING 2021 | 17 Travel
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