Austria

Music & Culture in Salzburg and Vienna

This program gives you the unique opportunity to spend your summer in two of Europe's most sought after cities. Learn outside of the classroom in the theaters, concert halls, and landmarks we visit. Get to know the birthplace of some of the world's most legendary composers - from Beethoven and Brahms to Mahler and Mozart.

You will have opportunities to perform with the Cathedral Choir in Salzburg, participate in folk dance and historical dance workshops in Vienna, and attend concerts and musical productions throughout the program.

Program Details

Itinerary

This itinerary ran in 2024. It is subject to change in 2026.

Munich: DAYS 1 – 4
1. Munich City Highlights & Course Lectures: Asamhaus and Asamkirche (Baroque styles
and aesthetics), Bürgersaalkirche, Marienkirche, Residenz Schatzkammer, Cuvillier- Theater (Mozart), Orlando di Lasso monument, Rathaus Glöckenspiel


2. Welcome dinner at the Hofbräuhaus


3. Day at Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein Castle (Wagner)


4. Glyptothek sculpture museum


5. Boat trip to the Königsee: Outdoor Baroque dance lesson, nature walk, and lunch at the Gastsätte St. Bartholomä

Salzburg: DAYS 5 – 10
1. Salzburg City Highlights & Course Lectures: Franziskanerkirche, Nonnberg Abbey, St. Sebastian cemetery (Mozart family), Mirabell palace & Residenz museum (Music and patronage in Salzburg), St. Peter’s cemetery and church (Maria Anna Mozart and Michael Haydn)


2. Lunch at the Festung (fortress) above the city


3. Guest lecturers at the Salzburg Cathedral archive, the Old University Library and Aula (Biber), The Mozart Manuscript Archive


4. Concerts: Mirabell Palace string quartet concert; Salzburg Marionettentheatre The Magic Flute; Joseph Haydn mass at the Franziskanerkirche; Organ concert at the Cathedral


5. Other activities: Music therapy workshop; Hellbrunn Palace with trick fountains, zoo,and Stone Theatre; Cable car to the Untersberg, hiking and traditional Austrian lunch on the mountain.

Stift Melk (Monastery): DAYS 11 – 13 
1. Guided tour of the high Baroque style Imperial guest rooms, library, and church


2. Archival visit, with archivist’s presentation on manuscripts and early prints on medicinal plants in the library


3. Visit to the Abbey’s apothecary garden; lecture and sampling of Melk’s plant-based syrups


4. Concerts and music-making: Singing Vespers with the monks; Outdoor evening military band concert in the Abbey courtyard; Singing chant in the Maria Himmelfahrt Pfarrkirche in the city


5. Contradance lesson in the Abbey’s Baroque garden pavilion

Vienna: DAYS 14 – 21
1. Vienna City Highlights & Course Lectures: Grinzing cemetery & church (Mahler); Heiligenstadt Haus (Beethoven); Schubert birth house (Schubert); Strauss Casino and Museum (Strauss family); tour of the Musikverein (Brahms); Mozart Figaro House (Mozart’s Vienna years); Arnold Schoenberg Center (Schoenberg)


2. Lunch at the Strauss Casino Café; Traditional Viennese Heurigen dinner at Mayr am Pfarrplatz; Ice cream at the Gloriette at Schönbrunn Palace; Farewell dinner at the Zwölf Apostelkeller


3. Lecture and visit to the Archive of the Musikverein; Habsburg history lecture & Kaisergruft visit (music and patronage in Vienna)


4. Concerts: Beethoven mass with Vienna Choirboys at the Hofburg Chapel; Concert of typical Viennese arias, waltzes, and marches; Richard Strauss, Salomé at the Vienna State Opera; c. 1642 mean-tone organ, lecture & recital at Franziskanerkirche


5. Other activities: View of the city from the Kahlenburg; Prunksaal at the National Library; Karlskirche; St. Stephen’s Cathedral; St. Marx cemetery (Mozart’s burial place)

Costs

Program Fee Costs for 2026 are to be determined

Includes:

  • In-country costs: housing, some meals, activities, in-country travel, entrance fees/tickets, insurance
  • Does not include tuition or round trip airline tickets

Travel Dates: May/June 2026

Total Tuition Costs (3 cr.)

  • SPARK-eligible students will have tuition for 3 credits covered in addition to receiving $1,500 from The Center for Life's Work.
  • Non-SPARK eligible students will receive a 2 credit-offset scholarship and will be responsible for the remaining tuition for 1 credit (per Summer 2026 credit cost); each student will be eligible to receive some funding from the Center for International Education.

* All costs quoted are subject to change.

Accommodations

Students will board, with breakfast included, at youth hostels in each city.

Course

MUS 477: Music & Culture in Austria (3 credit hours)

  • Students will prepare for the course by becoming familiar with the composers, repertoire, and cultural contexts for performing in each city.
  • Dr. Roth will provide a CD and listening list of repertoire, and Dr. Malkiewicz will provide a list of websites and readings related to the places we will visit.
  • All classes will be taught in English; no foreign language requirement.
  • In bad weather, classes will be conducted in a classroom at the Mozarteum.
  • Evaluation will be based on participation, on-site quizzes, and a final paper.
Deadlines

Payments are made in 5 installments:

November 2025

December 2025

January 2026

February 2026

March 2026

*Students must submit a color photocopy of their passport valid through December 2025 with the first program deposit in November.

 

Austria

How Studying Abroad Expanded My Understanding of Music, History, & Culture

Read about how this program helped Paige Lee '22 better understand and appreciate music history.

Austria

Mountains, Mozart, and Monks?! Oh my!

Hannah Komar '23 traveled to Austria during Summer A 2022. Read about her experiences on this program in the "My Life as a Flyer" blog.

Views from Abroad

    View of Salzburg

    At A Glance

    (S): SPARK-Eligible

    Semester: Summer A 2026

    Program Level: Undergraduate

    Program Type: Academic

    Major(s): Music Theory, Music Therapy, Music Education

    Language Requirement: None

    Minimum GPA Requirement: 3.0

    Austria

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