Throughout history, composers and artists have been drawn to Vienna. Capital of the Habsburg Empire and the world’s dominant artistic center for over 250 years, this city provides an ideal vantage point to explore important developments in music history. This course will focus on the city’s extraordinary cultural heritage and examine the significant contributions of Viennese artists and musicians. Participants will live in the central city and experience the same attraction that drew artists and composers from the middle ages to Mozart, Mahler, Klimt and beyond. Daily lectures will be supplemented by guided tours to sites of historic significance including composers’ residences, cathedrals, palaces, and museums. Participants will attend performances at the concert halls and opera houses that inspired some of mankind’s most significant artistic achievements and experience the vitality of one of Europe’s most dynamic cities.