By Tom Hickey, Special to The Review
The Musikhauptshule Thuringen Austrian Band and Choir will perform a special concert of popular and Austrian folk music on Friday, July 20 at 8 p.m. at the Oxford Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $5 at the door. The group is visiting the Orion/ Oxford area through a partnership with the Blue Lake International Exchange Program and the Orion Art Center.
The 40 member Austrian group will be staying with area families who open their homes to the visitors for several days as part of the program, designed to promote friendship and goodwill through the universal language of the arts.
Lake Orion resident Anne Rachuy is currently hosting two members of the band, both 14-year-old girls. This is her second year housing band members.
‘It’s a great way to experience another culture,? Rachuy said of the decision to volunteer. ‘We’re able to get an accelerated education in their culture, and they’re able to get an accelerated education in ours.?
Rachuy and her husband remain involved in activities and exhibits at the OAC. The couple has no children of their own, but plans to introduce the Austrian girls to their neighbors? children.