Karen Graham

I have so many great travelling music experiences that it’s hard to pick just one, so here’s three of my favourites, in no particular order:

Lilith Fair – A celebration of women in music

In 1998 I travelled from Australia to the US to work at summer camp as the photography teacher & yearbook editor. I worked in Massachusetts at Chimney Corners Camp for girls and it was a great experience, albeit very demanding. We had long working hours, so I treasured my time off and tried to use it well. One day after work we drove 3 hours to Boston to attend the Lilith Fair musical festival and then another 3 hours back to camp afterwards (working the next day). It was absolutely brilliant.

Lilith Fair was a celebration of women in music, which ran from 1997 to 1999, and was founded by Sarah McLachlan. She was frustrated with concert promoters that refused to feature two female musicians on the same bill. With Lilith Fair she proved them wrong and won many fans in the process.

Although we arrived late, we caught the last couple of songs by Emmylou Harris, and then saw the full sets of Natalie Merchant and Sarah McLachlan. Totally awesome!

Classical music in Vienna

In July 2007, I reacquainted with a good friend and we cycled along the Danube River from Passau to Vienna – about 350 kilometres – and then spent a day exploring Vienna to finish our trip. Early evening, the heavens opened and the rain pelted down. We ran from doorway to doorway en route to the National Theatre where we hoped to see a dance show. By the time we got there we’d missed out on the cheap tickets so we took shelter on the steps of the theatre waiting for an opportune moment to run to the subway. The rain got heavier and heavier, thunder cracked and spectacular lightning illuminated the sky. Across the road there was an outdoor film festival in progress. The movie, featuring classical music, spilled from the loudspeakers scattered across the park.

This could only happen in Vienna. A thunderstorm – nature’s very own light and sound show – backed by the sweet sounds of classical music.

Postscript: Afterwards we got totally soaked running to the subway but it was a brilliant evening, one I’ll never forget!

Bear Mountain

In August 2007, I participated on a voluntary work camp at a brown bear refuge in Kuterevo, Croatia. We worked on upgrading a trail from the mountaintop (Kopija) to the village - part of a grand plan to build a 50,000 square metre enclosure for the bears (to give them a larger area of forest to roam). One evening we went to Kopija to attend the farewell celebration for Maria-Ruth (a long-term volunteer from Germany) Her family treated us to a concert and it was one of those surreal moments you sometimes have while travelling.

I was sitting with a group of volunteers (from various parts of the world) on a mountaintop in Croatia - where bears and wolves roam - listening to a German brass band. Simply unforgettable!