By PHILIP FISHER

On the way from the airport to the Scandic Copenhagen Hotel, I glanced out the back window of the van and my bleary, jet-lagged gaze fell for the first time upon Tivoli's famous roller coaster. It rose in the distance like a dueling dragon, its swirling red tracks imposing themselves on the otherwise modest skyline. As early morning sunlight began pouring through the city, I realized that this was going to be anything but a typical performing experience.

Pianists Alicia Martinez and I, violinist Tai Murray, and horn player Wei-Ping Chou were all delighted to be taking part in a weeklong series at the world-famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, titled "Juilliard at Tivoli." This unprecedented venture came about when Tivoli's artistic director, Nikolaj Koppel, decided to pay an impromptu visit to President Joseph W. Polisi while on business in New York, and I was eager for it to get underway.

Alicia Martinez and Philip Fisher performing Rachmaninoff's Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos in the Koncertsalen in Tivoli Gardens. (Photo by Amanda von Goetz)

After a seven-hour flight from New York, I was dying for some food, rest, and a shower. Frustratingly, our rooms were not yet ready. Host Rikke Henriksen concluded that the best way to pass the time would be to take a tour of Tivoli Gardens.

As it had not yet opened for the day, Tivoli seemed like a ghost town. Empty ticket stands, game booths, and souvenir shops were everywhere. A rickety old wooden roller-coaster track appeared humbled before the monster coaster, which loomed overhead. Colorful banners swung from the streetlight poles that lined the gravel streets. In the midst of the park, just beyond a large reflecting pool, stood the impressive Tivoli Koncertsalen.

It was a bizarre feeling to know that this was where the Juilliard artists would be performing a series of concerts, in what seemed like a "Danish Disneyland." And just when I thought it couldn't get any wilder, I found myself face-to-face with some very hungry sharks.

Granted, they were relatively small, and a thick plate of glass stood between us. The aquarium in the basement of the Koncertsalen wasn't exactly Sea World, but watching miniature sharks in action as they preyed on tropical fish made for a fascinating, albeit odd, visual treat. I wondered what other strange events were in store in the coming week, as we had only arrived in Copenhagen some two hours earlier!

A look inside the hall itself calmed things down. With a seating capacity of around 2,000 and excellent natural acoustics, it is no wonder the Tivoli Koncertsalen is considered the finest concert hall in Copenhagen (and one of the finest in Europe). Over the course of the following week, my fellow performers and I would be privileged to perform there with the wonderful Copenhagen Philharmonic, led by Giordano Bellincampi. There would be a total of three concerts, two of which would highlight our concerto performances. The final concert, on the last night of our stay, would see all of us take the stage for a program of chamber music.

On the night of each concert, the once-deserted Tivoli Gardens became almost unrecognizable, alive with glittering lights and overflowing with children and parents. The excitement of the park could be seen and heard clearly from the performers' green room; it was an unusual though invigorating experience to hear the screams and yells of those riding the roller coaster as one waited tensely to be called to the stage. On the night of my concerto performance, this made an indelible impression upon my mind, and it struck me how refreshing it was in comparison to the more isolated settings I had encountered on previous tours.

Despite a busy rehearsal schedule in the days following the concerto performances, we did find time to explore the beautiful city streets. Mr. Koppel was generous enough to act as our tour guide on a boat trip around the extensive, looping canal system. The day after the final concert, he would be our guide once again, this time for a slightly more unusual trip.

With the applause still ringing in our ears, he came backstage to thank us and, without missing a beat, declared, "Now, I have to insist that you ride the roller coaster with me!" We jumped at the chance and, still dressed in concert attire, attracted one or two curious glances as we piled onto the ride. Spinning around the tracks, I attempted to take in one last, dizzying view of the magical gardens. As we glided to a standstill, I looked at the smiling faces of my friends, and it seemed a fitting way to end such an unusual and exciting trip!

Heads spinning from the ride, we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts just as the park was shutting down for the night. Suddenly it appeared as it had that very first morning—deserted. All the parents and children were already on their way home as we looked back at the gardens one last time. As they faded into the darkness of night, I felt it would be some time before our memories began to do the same.

Philip Fisher earned his M.M. in piano this past May.