The Bob Cole Conservatory Choir Presents its Finale Tour Concert at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin on June 9 at 7 pm

The Bob Cole Conservatory Choir from Long Beach is going to visit Central Europe with Incantato Tours this summer. The choir will present its finale concert of the Performance Tour at one of the most known churches world-wide. The prime concert venue on Wednesday, June 9, is the Kaiser William Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche) located in Berlin on the Kurfürstendamm in the centre of the Breitscheidplatz.
The original church on the site was built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. The present building, which consists of a church with an attached foyer and a separate belfry with an attached chapel, was built between 1959 and 1963. The damaged spire of the old church has been retained and its ground floor has been made into a memorial hall. The foundation stone for the old church was laid on March 22, 1891. The competition for the design was won by Franz Schwechten who planned for a large church to be built in Neo-Romanesque style, including 2,740 square meters of wall mosaic. The spire was 113 meters (370' and 8.81") in stature and the nave seated over 2,000 people. The church was consecrated on September 1, 1895. By this time of the consecration the entrance hall in the lower section had not been completed. This was opened and consecrated on February 22, 1906. In the Second World War, on the night of November 23, 1943, the church was irreparably damaged in an air raid. The church was largely destroyed but part of the spire and much of the entrance hall survived. The entrance hall in the base of the damaged spire was reopened to visitors, having been consecrated on 7 January 1987.
Its floor contains a mosaic of the Archangel Michael fighting the dragon. The vault shows a procession of Hohenzollern princes, early and more recent. Other mosaics show important monarchs in medieval Germany, Reformation thinkers and Reformation princes. Bas-relief sculptures illustrate scenes from biblical stories, scenes from the life of Kaiser Wilhelm I and symbolic figures representing war and peace. In the north apse are 16 display panels which tell the story of the old church and its destruction. At the opposite end of the hall are three items which symbolize the history of the church. In the middle is a damaged statue of Christ which originally stood on the altar of the old church. To its right is the Cross of Nails which was made from nails in the roof timbers of Coventry Cathedral. This cathedral had been severely damaged in a German air raid on 14 November 1940. To the left of the statue of Christ is an icon cross which was given by the Russian Orthodox Church and handed over in 1988. Outside the hall are four sandstone figures made by Stefan Kaehne. The pictures are from the official website of the church.

First CIC Tour Concert at St. Nicholas Church in Prague on June 25, at 2 pm

The Hussite Church of St. Nicholas on the Old Town Square in Prague is the venue for the first CIC 2010 Performance Tour concert. The Carolina International Choral and String Ensemble present an afternoon concert at this beautiful baroque church on Friday, June 25, at 2 pm.
The construction on St. Nicholas was completed in 1735. It replaced a parish church, mentioned in records dating back as early as 1273. It wasn't until 1901, when the Krenn House was demolished, that its lovely white façade became visible to the rest of the Old Town Square. It simply gleams, hit by the sun during the day and lit by strong white lights at night. St. Nicholas is a Baroque church, decorated with sculptures by Antonín Braun. The interior design was inspired by the chapel of St. Louis-des-invalides in Paris. The delicate stucco decoration was executed by Bernardo Spinetti, and the frescos are by Peter Adam the Elder. In 1781 decoration inside St. Nicholas was removed after emperor Josef II ordered the closure of all monasteries without a social function.From 1870-1914 St. Nicholas became Russian Orthodox. Then, during the second World War, Czech army units were stationed here and artists were set to work restoring the church. After the war, St. Nicholas was handed over to the Czech Hussite movement, with whom it remains today. It now serves as both a church and a magnificent venue for classical concerts.

The Western Reserve Academy in Italy: A Trip to Remember

The Western Reserve Academy travelled through Italy in March 2010. The choir made its way through the beautiful country for 12 day. They performed, enjoyed typical dishes, met locals and had lots of fun. Martha Miller kept the families and friends at home informed about the adventures in Italy via the Incantato Tour blog. Here is an overview about her entries:

Lunch at the Rialto Bridge
The WRA tour group arrived in Venice two days ago, after several hours on three different planes. We met up with our guide, and put our bags in the hotel before beginning our tour of the city of Venice. We walked through the Jewish ghettos and got to have our first lunch at the Rialto Bridge. Afterwards we continued to St. Mark's Square. A large group of us had the wonderful opportunity to go on a gondola, and it really sunk in that we were in Venice! After a delicious dinner we went back to the hotel to collapse into bed.



Celebration time after the concert at St. Mark's Basilica
Our second day was spent mostly in St. Mark's area, taking tours of Doge's Palace and the St. Mark's Basilica. We also visited a Venetian glass factory, where we saw a professional glass-maker make a vase in about five minutes flat right before our eyes! Afterwards we were allowed to wander and visit some of the museums in St. Mark's Square. Finally it was time for our concert inside St. Mark's Basilica for mass. Although the crowd was small, the concert sounded beautiful and we moved off to our celebratory dinner. Finally we went back to the hotel to fall back into our beds.



Welcome to Verona! In the footsteps of Romeo and Juliet
Hello from a bus in the middle of Italy! Not the exact middle, but we are driving from the north more towards the middle part of Italy. We took our two-hour bus drive down to Verona yesterday with our wonderful bus driver and guide, and saw many farms out the window in that time. The bus drive felt oddly short as we pulled up in Verona and began our first adventures in an Italian city with a new added twist - there were cars everywhere! Unlike Venice, we had to be aware of cars and motorbikes driving up and down the streets. We ate lunch inside an old church that had been renovated, St. Matthew's Church. It was there that we really noticed for the first time how long Italian meals are - we ate for almost two and a half hours! After we finished, we met with our local guide and got a beautiful walking tour of Verona, complete with a very deep history of Verona. We started at the Gate of Jupiter and ended inside 'Juliet's House' - the house supposedly of the Capulets from Shakespeare's play. After that we were given some free time to walk around Verona's crowded streets before meeting back by the amphitheatre - yes, Verona has one too but it's not as big as Coliseum in Rome. It's actually the third largest in Italy. We drove to our hotel and got settled in before heading out to Valeggio sul Mincio, a small village beyond Verona's city limits, for dinner. All of the kids went to a pizzeria with our guide and had delicious pizzas while the rest of the adults had some alone time for a nice quiet dinner.


Exploring Montecatini
Although we're staying in the same hotel in Montecatini, (which is gorgeous) we are travelling around to see different cities in the area. Yesterday, after our three and a half hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Montecatini and got settled into our previously-mentioned hotel. We then set out to walk around Montecatini. It's probably one of my favorite cities we've visited so far. Unlike Venice and Verona, it is not as crowded as the other cities we visited, and we arrived right at lunchtime, so the streets were especially open. After eating lunch, we were left to wander the city in groups, some visiting the markets before coming back to the hotel to do a rehearsal for our big concert on Thursday.


Next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa
This morning after breakfast, we took a bus to just outside Pisa, and then took a local bus into the place itself. It was amazing! We saw the Tower while we were standing waiting to get into the Duomo di Pisa. Once inside, we were allowed to perform at the front altar, an amazing experience! Many groups stopped to watch and listen, and seemed to really enjoy the concert, even if we couldn't understand their words. Now we have just arrived in Lucca, where we will have a guided tour and then eat what will undoubtedly be a delicious dinner. Even the most picky of our group have been enjoying meals, and are looking forward to several more days in Italy!

Providence College performs at St. Peter's Basilica on May 22, 2011 at 5:30 PM

Now if that is not the best way to start "dreaming" about the Providence College Italy Incantato Performance Tour 2011, by knowing already that the choir will be perfoming in the most important Catholic cathedral on May 22 at 5:30 pm.
Here is some information about this magnificent cathedral:
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Michelangelo took over a building site at which four piers, enormous beyond any constructed since the days of Ancient Rome, were rising behind the remaining nave of the old basilica. He also inherited the numerous schemes designed and redesigned by some of the greatest architectural and engineering brains of the 16th century.
Incidentally there are over 100 tombs within St. Peter's Basilica, many located in the Vatican grotto, beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here, having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI. The most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005.

Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir Sings at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin on April 14

Today, Wednesday, April 14, the Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin will welcome the travelers of the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir under the direction of Stan DeWitt. At 1.15 pm the choir is going to perform its final highlight concert.
Christ Church Cathedral (The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, commonly known as Christ Church, Cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and Metropolitical Cathedral of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel) in Dublin is the elder of the city's two medieval cathedrals, the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The cathedral was begun in 1038 by King Sitric Silkenbeard, the Danish Viking King of Dublin, for the first Bishop of Dublin, Donat or Donagh (the Diocese of Dublin was at that time a small island surrounded by a huge Diocese of Glendalough, and answered to Canterbury). The church was built on the high ground overlooking the Viking settlement of Wood Quay and Sitric gave the "lands of Baldoyle, Raheny and Portrane for its maintenance".
The cathedral was extensively renovated and rebuilt from 1871 to 1878 by George Edmund Street, with the sponsorship of distiller Henry Roe of Mount Anville. The great 14th century choir was demolished and a new eastern end was built over the original crypt. He built a new chapter house and for example the tower and the south nave arcade was rebuilt. The flying buttresses were added as a decorative feature as well. The baptistery was built in its place. Street built the adjacent Synod Hall, taking in the last remnant of St. Michael and all Angels's Church, including the bell tower. The synod house is linked to the cathedral by Street's iconic covered footbridge.

The San Marino Chamber Choir in Spain: An unforgettable experience

The San Marino Chamber Choir is back in the USA. The choir under the direction of Howard Cheung made its way through Spain for 11 day. They performed, enjoyed typical dishes, met locals and had lots of fun. Natalia and Andy kept the families and friends at home informed about the SMCC adventures in Spain via the Incantato Tour blog. Here is a summary of their entries:

Touch Down in Madrid
After nearly 14 hours on a plane, and 20 hours since we left the choir room, San Marino Chamber Choir has finally touched down in Madrid! Torn between excitement and overwhelming exhaustion, our beloved Chamber family filed out of the Lufthansa jet into the Spanish castle of an airport ready to tackle all of the wonderful challenges that await us!

Showered with Praise after the Easter Mass Performance
Wow! What an amazing, yet exhausting, day! Our first stop was the most famous bull-fighting ring in the world! Our wonderful tour guide, Mark, told us a brief history of the landmark and explained that on Easter Sunday it is the celebratory task of a matador to fight 6 bulls at once! After a few minutes of break time in the "botanical train station," the Chamber entourage went on a walking tour led by our two lovely guest guides, Mercedes y Raquel. The choir split up and walked through central Madrid, experiencing the royal palace, town hall, old Madrid, and La Plaza del Sol. Soon after, we found ourselves spiffed-up and ready to perform the 6:00 Easter Mass. As the performance and after-performance concluded, we were all showered with praise and presented with the chance the meet several locals, including a woman from Boise. What a treat to hear english spoken by someone outside of our bus!

Watch out for the Swords in Toldeo
The bus ride from Madrid placed us in the beautiful city of Toledo. With our very intense tourguide, Carlos, we traced the perimeter of Toledo by bus and then took a trip to the famous sword manufacturer of Toledo. Once we entered the center of Toledo, we were surrounded by eighty churches, and one enormous cathedral. Step by step, line by line, we filed into this monumentous landmark. 3 hours of free time later we got dressed and meandered through the ancient streets in style, capturing many awkward glances, and comments of our mixed ethnicities. But sure enough, we overcame these seemingly insurmountable obstacles and made it safely to the granddad of all churches. We had an amazing performance for a small mass, and received many blessings from the priest.


Best Performance of the Year
While the vast majority of the morning was spent traveling to our hotel, eventually we reached our very "quaint" hotel in the center of "Old Cuenca." At 7:00 we met to rehearse in the beautiful octagonal church that was adjacent to our hotel. The performance was amazing. By far the best one our choir has had all year. After the concert we all climbed to the bus and drove to "New Cuenca" to have some great food.


From Cuenca to Valencia
Five hours of bus riding later, we arrived in sunny Valencia. We are stopped halfway to our final nighttime destination for a traditional Paella lunch! After this we took a bus tour around the gorgeous city to see the Formula 1 race track, downtown, and of course, the city of arts and sciences! We then took a tour of the Cathedral of Valencia. While we have seen a Cathedral in almost every city now, this Cathedral was just as amazing as ever. It is impossible for the brilliant architecture and history to ever get old. Reflecting back to all of our touring, I have yet to see a city as beautiful as Valencia. With such a perfect mix of local agriculture, modern architecture, beautiful culture, and history, I cannot wait to come back to Valencia as soon as I can!


A day full of relaxation and fun by the water
Oh Happy Day! SMCC and Friends spent a day full of relaxation and fun by the water. Our late wake-up call and delicious breakfast gave us just enough energy for a few hours of shopping on the boardwalk. When we got back from the excursion we all jumped into our swim trousers. With our new coat of bronze we all found our rooms and spiffied-up to watch two choir perform in the renowned performance hall of Torreviejo. We were then serenaded by the hispanic double of Hugh Laurie and Mr. Bean and entertained by the wonderful children's choir. Shortly after, Bean's choir returned to finish of the night with a bang!


A Press Conference and an Amazing Concert
After a fulfilling breakfast at the hotel, we got fancy and made our way over to the mayor's office, where we were met by a crew of reporters and television video cameras. As all of the participating choirs from Italy, Austria, Madrid, and Sweden filed in, our Chamber Singers sat in anticipation waiting for the press conference to start. After the conference we went back to the hotel, ate, and packed everything up. We then spent a few hours catching up on our relaxation time back at the boardwalk. Then we made our way over to the concert hall. We warmed up, and prepared ourselves mentally for the grueling concert ahead of us. Each song we were singing demanded every ounce of our voice, as well as our hearts. Half-way through, the Barbershop provided a quick break for the singers who were on the verge of collapse from such a demanding repertoire. The Four Chords won the hearts of the Spanish crowd with a stunning performance of "What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?" Rested, and rejuvenated, the choir finished the concert full of passion and energy. As we all sang the last note, the crowd erupted in applause. Slowly but surely re received that treasured standing ovation.

Welcome to the Cultural Mecca that Is Barcelona!
After grabbing a quick lunch by the Marina, we proceeded to the most famous street in Barcelona, one the way, visiting a gorgeous cathedral, and the very steps on which Columbus told his news of the "New World." After some free time, we all piled around the towering statue of Christopher Columbus awaiting Kiefer's guidance to our dinner location. There we were re-united with our friend and owner of Incantato Tours, Sandra. With Sandra in our ranks, we enjoyed an amazing meal of seemingly endless tapas, all of which were mouth-wateringly delicious.

Memories that Will Last a Lifetime
The day started with SMCC singing! With a rehearsal time of 9:15 at the Petite Palau, we found ourselves warming up before we could even open our eyes. After testing the acoustics of the hall, we were served a sandwich and drink before entering the hall once again to begin our concert. With foreign dignitaries present, the pressure was on, but our excitement overcame it. We performed about as well as 40 exhausted singers could, and brought joy to the hearts of those watching. Now that we had no commitment to save our voices, the real fun could begin. We embarked on a bus tour around Barcelona with a British guy name Steve. Steve took us to all of the Gaudi monuments around the city, including the one that makes Barcelona so famous: La Iglesia de Sagra Familia. As the tour concluded and an hour of shopping elapsed, we made our way over to a tapas bar for dinner. We performed for the owner of the restaurant and said our goodbyes to the chaperons. The parents were to get a good night's sleep before a long day of traveling, but the kids were instructed to party their hardest aboard a double-decker party bus. We can't thank Incantato Tours enough for all that they've done. The concerts, the sights, and the people were all impeccable. Thank you Sandra and Mark (Max Kiefer) for building memories that will last a lifetime!

The Falcon Choirs in Germany: 11 days full of fun and music with Incantato Tours

The Falcon Choirs from Crescenta Valley High School are back from their trip to Germany! The 11 days flew by, the students experienced and learned a lot. Here is a summary of the adventures written down from the bloggers Annie Lawler and Cody Chase:

Munich: From the Olympiastadion to the Marienplatz
We made it safe and sound, and had an excellent first day here. The flight over was quite smooth and was filled with entertainment. We landed nearly an hour ahead of schedule and on the way to the hotel enjoyed a short tour of Munich. Later that night we had an amazing Bavarian dinner at the hotel before knocking out for the night. Today we went on a real tour of Munich, seeing the grounds where they held the Olympics in the 70's, the English Gardens, and the Glockenspiel. At 6 pm we got back together for dinner at the “Augustiner”.


Easter Sunday Performance: An Amazing Cultural Experience
Our 2nd full day in Germany was just as amazing and busy as the first. We performed at the Easter service at St. Lucas Church and then had a short concert. The service was beautiful and an amazing cultural experience. And the concert was well attended, and we sounded AMAZING in the cathedral space. It was amazing to sing in there. Later that day we went to the BMW museum for lunch and then to Osterfest (the Easter festival in Munich) where most of us went up in the Olympiaturm. There was hardly enough time to see everything, but our busy schedule called and we had to run off to dinner at the Hofbräuhaus.

Like Prince and Princess in Castle Neuschwanstein
On Monday we left Munich bright and early for our long day of driving. Our first stop was Neuschwanstein, the castle disney modeled their castle after. It was beautiful on the outside and even better on the inside. Then it was back on the bus to get to a beautiful church in Steingaden. We performed in our casual/nice attire to a small audience at first, but one that kept growing as the concert progressed. We spent only a few minutes at the church after that because we had to move out once again in order to make it to Rothenburg on time for our night tour of the city. We were picked up at out hotel by someone dressed as the 'night watchman' that the old city would have had. It was a great day.

Snowballs - with Chocolate! And: Is it Already Christmas?
Then it was Tuesday. We had the whole morning to run around Rothenburg and do what we pleased. Many of u tried a 'snowball'. They are a Rothenburg specialty that's basically doughnut batter fried and put into the shape of a ball before being dipped in chocolate. There was also one of the largest Christmas stores in the world in that small town, and the crime museum. There was so much to do and see, no one wanted to leave, but we had to go on to our next destination: Chemnitz. There we performed again. The concert had over 100 people in attendance!


Lifting up the Spirits in Berlin
So its Friday night here in Berlin and a few hours ago we had our last concert of the tour. We had a decent sized audience that provided the needed energy that we couldn’t gather up by ourselves after such a great and exhausting trip. Even when we don’t feel like we sang as best as we could’ve there always seems to be at least one audience member that has something to say that lifts our spirits right back up. I truly don’t believe we could’ve had a better tour with better performances. And with only one more full day to go, I can say that this trip has been worth every dollar and euro that has gone into it. I’m going to miss Germany a lot. I don’t know that I could live here or anything like that, but it sure is an amazing place to visit, and the memories that the 2009-2010 CVHS Falcon Choir has made on this trip will never be forgotten.

SMCC highlight concert at the Palau de la Musica Catalana: Impressions

SMCC highlight concert at the Palau de la Musica Catalana at noon

Full house expected for the San Marino Chamber Choir's highlight performance at the Petit Palau in Barcelona on Sunday

The Palau is Barcelona's prime concert venue and it is also the location for the San Marino Chamber Choir's finale performance of their 2010 Spain Incantato Performance Tour. On April 11 at noon, the singers from California are presenting a highlight concert at the newest concert hall, the Petit Palau. For more information, visit the official Palau website (in Catalan) and click on the performance day April 11. Prior to their arrival in Barcelona, the singers from San Marino have performed in Madrid, Toledo, Cuena and as the featured guest choir at the Encuentro Cuidad the Torrevieja, a renowned choral festival in a small village south of Valencia.
Incantato Concerts expects a full house and many dignitaries in the audience, including special delegations from the Chinese Consulate, the Taiwanese trade organization, the US-Expat community, the Jewish community and fellow singers from various Catalan conservatories and schools.

Falcon Choir student blogger Cody reports from Berlin: A Great Ending with the Man in the Red Scarf

So its Friday night here in Berlin and a few hours ago we had our last concert of the tour. We had a decent sized audience that provided the needed energy that we couldn’t gather up by ourselves after such a great and exhausting trip. Even when we don’t feel like we sang as best as we could’ve there always seems to be at least one audience member that has something to say that lifts our spirits right back up. I truly don’t believe we could’ve had a better tour with better performances. And with only one more full day to go, I can say that this trip has been worth every dollar and euro that has gone into it.

In tonight’s performance we had an older gentleman, whom we affectionately named “the cute old guy with the red scarf”, who had a special appreciation for the songs we sang. Throughout the concert it was obvious that he was really enjoying it, but he almost couldn’t contain himself after hearing the first few notes of Weeping Mary. In an instant he put his hands to his face in shock and from half way across the church I could see him holding back tears, and as our three split up choirs sang back and forth, he started discretely conducting the song along with Mrs. Alderman from his seat in perfect synchronization. Somehow he knew the song and he knew it well, and I think we may have made his night. Before we could get a chance to talk to him, however, he had walked out with his wife without saying a word to anyone. That was pretty dang cool to say the least, and a fantastic way to end our tour.

As much as I’m looking forward to going home to be back with my family, back in my house, and back to more comfortable food, I’m going to miss Germany a lot. I don’t know that I could live here or anything like that, but it sure is an amazing place to visit, and the memories that the 2009-2010 CVHS Falcon Choir has made on this trip will never be forgotten.

-Cody Chase

www.codyshoots.blogspot.com

San Marino Chamber Choir sings at San Pedro in magical Cuenca at 8 pm

The San Marino Chamber Choir under the direction of  Howard Cheung is visiting Cuenca today. Incantato Tours got the singers permission for  a concert at the Iglesia de San Pedro in Cuenca at 8 pm this Tuesday.

Here are some interesting facts about the venue: San  Pedro is located on the top of the city of Cuenca. Historian found out  that the stone-built church was hard-fought in the 15th century. The  building was completely finished in 1604 and covered with magnificent  inlaying of Mudejar style. By the end of 1660 there was just a ruin  left, but it was rebuild fast. In the 18th century the church, like many  others of the diocese of Cuenca, was totally renewed. The one in charge  of this renovation was the architect Jose Martin from Aldehuela. After  the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) San Pedro had  to be reconstructed again because of the big destructions that it  suffered during the war. When you have a close look at the church you  will discover stone sculptures and pretty ornaments.
The picture is from the website www.spain.info.

Falcon Choirs concertize at Markuskirche, Chemnitz on April 6 at 7:30 pm

After a night in Rothenburg, the Falcon Choirs are visiting Chemnitz today! In the evening they get ready for the first formal highlight concert at St. Markuskirche at 7.30 pm during their 2010 Germany Incantato Performance Tour.
The protestant Markuskirche was built between 1893 and 1895 in the style of the North German brick gothic. The most remarkable part of the building is the tower with two spires, which is 84 meters (275 ft) high. You can see it from very far away! The colored glass windows are still in the original condition. The organ originates from organ builder Jehmlich from Dresden. The church has room for 900 visitors. In 1934/35 and 1991 the church was renovated and re-opened in its recent beauty in 2000. The picture is from the website of the church.

San Marino Chamber Choir sings at Toledo Cathedral April 5 at 6 pm

We sure keep the San Marino Chamber Choir busy, but there are so many wonderful places to see in Spain and an 11 day tour goes by very fast. The singers next stop is the beautiful town of Toledo and Incantato Concert Manager Katia managed to get an invite for the wonderful ensemble directed by Howard Cheung to be the featured guest choir for High Mass at Toledo Cathedral, known as one of the greatest Gothic Cathedrals in the World and the third largest in Spain. If you are nearby, come see and hear them perform at 6 pm on Easter Monday April 5 - a national holiday in many European countries.

Now some words, a summary of the art highlights and a link for much more information about this spectacular venue we are thrilled to offer during the SMCC Incantato Tour:
Toledo Cathedral Toledo is ranked among the greatest Gothic structures in Europe. Inside, the cathedral contains important masterpieces including a spectacular baroque high altar and two paintings by El Greco. Toledo Cathedral stands on the site of the Great Mosque of Toledo, which itself had replaced a Visigothic church. Built from 1226 to 1493, the long process is reflected in Toledo Cathedral's variety of styles. Many historic events have been hosted in the cathedral over the years, including the proclamation of Joanna the Mad and her husband, Philip the Handsome, as heirs to the throne of Spain.The primarily 13th-century architecture of Toledo cathedral was inspired by the Gothic cathedrals of France such as Chartres, but the squat proportions give it a Spanish feel, as do the wealth and weight of the furnishings and the location of the elaborate choir in the center of the nave.

For more information and pictures, visit this website.