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THINKING ABOUT TEAMS
V
ienna, Austria is unmistakably, unapologetically a musical mecca. Walking the heart of this beautifully preserved European city makes you feel like you could bump into Mozart or Brahms around any corner. In fact, the timeless melodies of these two geniuses ring up and down the ancient avenues from the cellos, French horns, clarinets, flutes, and harpsichords of incredibly gifted young musicians overheard practicing behind open windows or busking in the streets for some loose change. It’s classical music heaven. The main city square crawls with men and women dressed in the costumes of yesteryear. The knee-length knickers and ruffles, white curled wigs, and long silk cuffs are all part of a carefully crafted tourist trade designed to cash in on the history of this incredible city. The task of these time-traveling marketers is to sell tickets for the countless classical musical performances that take place throughout the city every evening. On a recent visit to the city, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take in one of those concerts, even though, after more than thirty years in youth ministry, I prefer a good mosh pit to a string quintet. But hey! . . . when in Rome—or in this case, Vienna—you’ve got to do as the locals do. To miss one of these would be like going to New York and not taking a late night stroll through Times Square . . . or visiting Australia and not seeing a kangaroo . . . or stopping in Cawker City, Kansas and missing the world’s biggest ball of twine. There are some things in life that are clearly not optional.