Hello all! My name is Owen Metzger, and I’m a junior chemistry major with a minor in music. At Luther, I take private voice and piano lessons. I am also a baritone in Collegiate Chorale and a tenor in Collegium Musicum. This J-term course has provided me with a great chance to explore music outside of the Jenson-Noble community, and it’s been quite eye-opening!
Although Listening Live did not attend any music performances today, we were given plenty of chances to experience new aspects of London. After class, we traveled to the Brixton district of South London. Brixton is an ethnically diverse neighborhood with an atmosphere quite different from the areas which we have visited thus far. Those of us with less adventurous tastes found a café on the market street, but others enthusiastically reported back on the variety of their lunch choices. I much appreciated being able to explore a segment of London that is not specifically tailored to fit the expectations of tourists.
This afternoon, we attended the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square. As with many museums in London, admission is free, so the general environment was one of casual appreciation rather than determination to view every corner of the museum in one visit. I particularly liked the contrast between the two galleries. Both contain pieces dating back to the fifteenth century, but while the National Gallery’s timeline seems to end at 1900, the National Portrait Gallery has pieces that were created last year. This difference is accentuated by the architecture, which varies from grand and ornate to minimalist and modern, and the atmosphere, which was quietly deliberate in the National Gallery but relaxed and informal in the National Portrait Gallery.
Since there were no musical events scheduled, tonight was quiz night back at the flat. We were all called upon to put our knowledge of London culture and the course to this point to the test. My team won by a slim margin, but fun and laughs were had by all. We’re now preparing for our last full day in London, sad to be leaving this home-away-from-home behind, but excited to see what Nottingham and Scotland will bring.
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