Maymester course brings Vienna’s history alive

At the Café Landtmann, one of Vienna's classic coffeehouses.

“I was really fortunate to do quite a bit of international travel while I was an undergraduate,” recalls Professor of Musicology Robert Shay. “For me, that literally changed my worldview.” He aims to pass on such transformative experiences to College of Music students by way of his study abroad course—Vienna 1900: Music, Arts & Culture. 

Shay taught a similar course earlier in his career, then brought the idea to CU Boulder and led his first cohort in 2023. This May, he led a group of upper-level undergrads to Vienna, Austria, to explore and experience its music, history, architecture and visual arts.

“We’re focusing on this idea that modernism in the arts burst on the scene around 1900 in Vienna—in some ways reflecting and maybe anticipating the crisis that was happening in Europe at the time, leading up to World War I,” Shay says. “I think it’s a very interesting course. There are certainly fun aspects, but we deal with some challenging topics as well.”

At the Vienna State Opera following a performance 
of Richard Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.”

The Maymester course—offered in partnership with CU Boulder Education Abroad—included visiting museums showcasing works of Gustav Klimt, walking the Ringstrasse to admire Otto Wagner’s architecture, and enjoying a violin concerto by Erich Wolfgang Korngold featuring violinist Renaud Capuçon and the Vienna Symphony. Outside of academics, the class also enjoyed a traditional Viennese cafe and a meal at a winery.

“I’m impressed that the students were really into the interdisciplinary aspect of the course,” Shay shares. “I told them that, as a musicologist, my research is in the 17th century—but this is just a topic that I love and I view myself as kind of the senior student in our group. It’s an opportunity for me to keep learning about this topic every time I lead the course.”

Part of that interdisciplinary appreciation also derived from the mix of degree paths represented by the 11 course participants including BA, BM and BME music majors, three music minors and double majors in colleges across campus.

“Each group has its own chemistry,” Shay reflects. “This year, there were a small number of students who knew enough about what they were getting into—and who were fans of some of the artwork we experienced—that they were able to help lead us all in an enthusiastic direction.”

The group’s enthusiasm culminated at the Vienna State Opera where they experienced a performance of Richard Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.”

“We were all, I think, very excited at the end of the opera,” adds Shay. “It was a sold-out house—2,500 people—and as we were starting to leave, the audience kept clapping, bringing the cast out for its fifth bow, that kind of thing.

“Wagner, even though he died in the 1880s, was a big influence over this period—a controversial influence as well. I think the students really understood that, wow, this is something that’s special to be here for.”