See what happens on an Incantato Concert Tour

Here is the link to a parent video taken on the 2011 San Marino Chamber Choir Incantato Performance Tour to Italy. It sums up the events during their visit to Rieti, a truly special town in the very heart of this magical country. Enjoy!!!

And Fullerton places in the top again: Second place for singers from California at Austrian Choral Competition

Breaking news from the 48. Internationalen Chorwettbewerbes auf Schloß Porcia also known as the International invitational Choir Competition of Palace Porcia, in Spittal Austria: Den Kustliedbewerb (Kat.A) entschied der Tschechische Chor "Coro piccolo" mit 95 Punkten vor dem Ensemble aus den USA (Fullerton College Choir) und dem Vertreter Deutschlands (Ars Antiqua aus Aschaffenburg) für sich.
And what does that mean? The singers from California, USA under the direction of John Tebay placed second after Coro Piccolo from Prague in the choral works competition and added another 900 Euros to their prize money - combined with first place in the folk song competition that the Fullerton College Concert Choir won, they are now bringing 1800 Euro home. Only two points separated the winners (95 for the Czech Republic, 92 for USA), while the difference to the competitor with the least  points awarded by the four jurors was 38 - 
Unisono from Vienna only reveiced a score of 56. 

Schloss Porcia is the venue of the Int. Choral Competition

And here are the official results from the website of the hosting Choir Singkreis Porcia:
Rang Pkt. Land Chorname
1 95,0 Tschechien Piccolo coro, Prag
2 93,0 USA Fullerton College Choir
3 88,5 Deutschland Ars Antiqua Aschaffenburg
4 81,5 Indonesien Brawijaya Univ. Student Choir, Malang
5 77,0 Litauen gem. Chor “Kamertonas”, Kaunas
6 74,0 Slowenien Akademski pevski zbor Maribor
7 72,0 Österreich ”die lautmaler” Kammerchor Perg
8 69,0 Lettland Chor “Daugava”, Daugavpils
9 67,5 Dänemark Sjølund Kammerkor
10 56,5 Österreich Unisono Chor Wien

Fullerton College Choir wins first place at International Choral Competition in Austria

The Fullerton College Choir sings at the competition

Joanna Lem reports back from Austria about the 2011 Fullerton College Choir Performance Tour and has great news to share:

Yesterday was first day of the Singkreis Porcia Choral Competition, which entailed the choirs to sing three folk songs to an international jury to determine the winners among groups traveling from as far as Indonesia to the small town of Spittal an der Drau in Austria.
The competition started at 7:30pm, but the Fullerton College Concert Choir arrived early to observe the other competing groups. The singers from California under the direction of Mr. John Tebay were assigned the fifth spot among ten choirs and were scheduled to take the stage around an hour into the Chorbewerb, the official name of the compeition in Austrian German. As the Fullerton Choir member anxiously awaited their turn, they were able to listen to the performances of some of the competition. Many of the groups did very well and the Fullerton College students enjoyed listening to a diverse repertoire and they very much appreciated the other talent.
As the third choir was wrapping up, the American students assembled in preparation to take the stage for their performance. The choir's folk song selections were "Unclouded Day", "I Am Going Away", and "Way Over In Beulah Lan'". Especially the last selection, an African-American spititual had already impressed audiences in Germany and Asutria during the first few days of their Incantato Tour.
And their performance at Schloss Porcia in Austria surely lacked nothing, the Californians sang their hearts out and took the audience by storm! After the choir performed, the singers headed back to the audience to listen to the remaining five groups. Now that the pressure was off and they had given their best, the Californian students had fun listening to the other singers; especially the Indonesian group impressed Fullerton and they were fast known as the choir to beat!
Once all the groups performed their folk songs they were told to wait for an hour and a half, while the judges determined the scores. To pass the time, many choirs sang pieces they were not using in the competition for everyone to enjoy. Fullerton College was asked time and time again to perform various songs.
Finally, around 11:30pm, everyone gathered around the stage to hear the results and the comments from the judges. The judges were quite upfront with ther choir in their critic and some of the comments to the lower ranking groups seemed harsh to the students from California. And then, the winners were announced in reverse order: The judges started with the 10th place choir and kept going on to 9th, 8th, 7th...5th. Then they announced that there would be no 4th place choir, as there was a tie for 3rd place. When Fullerton College was not announced as either of the 3rd place choirs, the group got even more anxious as the judges commented on the 3rd place choirs. After the jury had shared their thoughts on the two remaining groups the anticipation was too much; the entire audience was no longer patiently waiting to hear if Fullerton College or the Indonesian choir would take first place. But after what seemed like an enterinity, the jury announced that the choir who would take second place was the Indonesian group; thereby giving first place to Fullerton College!!!
The Californian students were beyond thrilled; some even started crying in joy. They were all smiling, hugging one another, and just soaking in the idea that their performance was so spectacular that they had taken first in the folk song category. This was surely the perfect way to end the second night of the Singkreis Choral Competition!
Way to go Fullerton College!!! Congrats from all of us at Incantato Tours.

Singkreis Porcia Folk Song Rankings by country:
1st USA (Fullerton College) - 91 points
2nd Indonesia - 87 points
3rd Austria (Innsbruck) - 84 points, Czech Republic - 84 points ...TIE, no 4th place
5th Germany - 83 points
6th Lithuania - 82 points
7th Latvia - 74 points, Slovenia - 74 points ...TIE, no 8th place
9th Denmark - 67 points
10th Austria (Vienna) - 62 points

Half-time for the singers from Fullerton College - a quick look back at a magical moment

Joanna Lem, the newest member of the Incantato Tour Team reports from Spittal, Austria about the 2011 Incantato Performance Tour for the Fullerton College Concert Choir. 

The group is now half way through their European adventure! The students have had the opportunity to sing at Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Weimar, Lutherkirche of Apolda, Frauenkirche in Munich, Wieskirche
Steingaden, and even randomly throughout walking tours. Each time the singers under the direction of Mr. John Tebay have moved each audience they have sang for, whether it be the local community, international visitors, Priests and Pastor as well as the Mayor of Weimar.
A special and unexpected highlight during their 2011 Incantato Performance Tour happened on Wednesday, July 6 as the students visited Neuschwanstein, the most famous of German King Ludwig II's castle. Many people recognize this structure from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" which was modeled after the original erected in the hills of Bavaria. Seeing Neuschwanstein is very special and the students thought it would be mostly to learn part of Germany's history, to see what a castle is like in real life. After realizing that Neuschwanstein features a "Singer's Hall", the members of the Fullerton College Concert Choir sure got their hopes up to sing. Given that this is a very popular and busy tourist attraction, the possibility did not seem high, however together with the help of the local tour guide, the magic moment was made possible. When the end of the castle tour approached, the choir assembled and got ready to sing. Once the singing began many of the other tour groups stopped to listen. By the end of "Psalm 57" everyone was in awe, even the students themselves. The room had wooden walls, a wooden ceiling, and a carpeted floor; they did not think the room's acoustics were conducive for their singing. But the opposite was the case. Everyone was so impressed with how they sounded in the room. The young Californians were thrilled for the chance to experience singing in a place that not many are able to. The other tourists visiting were so impressed; some took time from their tour to talk to some of the students.

Neuschwanstein is now so much more memorable because the choir had the
wonderful opportunity to sing in this magnificent castle!

The UM Frost Chorale in Valencia: Ave Maria by Victoria

The University of Miami Frost Chorale in Barcelona

Providence College 2011 Italy Tour Performance Overview

University of Miami Frost Chorale second concert on Wednesday, May 18 at 8:30 PM: Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas in Valencia

In celebration of International Museum Day, the University of Miami Frost Chorale from Miami will be performing at Valencia’s Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 8:30 PM.

One of the most central structures in the city of Valencia is the Palacio del Marques de dos Aguas, a former palace and now the home of Spain’s National Museum of Ceramics and Arts. The fifteenth century home was officially declared a historic-artistic monument in 1941.

Historians consider the palace a “paragon of nobility and wealth,” stemming from the fifteenth century during which the Perellos Rabassa family acquired the Barony of Dos Aguas and were ultimately elevated to the status of Marquis by King Charles II.

The grounds originally consisted of three Gothic buildings arranged around the perimeter of a courtyard, as well as a single tower at the northwest corner. The current palace is the product of a radical reform which occurred in the year 1740 and now boasts an irregular quadrangular layout organized around the courtyard and corner towers. The front door was carved in alabaster by Valencia’s Ignacio Vergara, the founder of the Santa Barbara School of Fine Arts.

The palace’s name “Dos Aguas” refers to the two largest rivers in the region of Valencia, the Turia and Jucar, which are represented on the building’s façade by two nude human figures and two falling streams of water.
The ownership of the palace changed hands multiple times throughout the centuries, until the Spanish government officially purchased the site in 1949 for the installation of a ceramic collection assembled by Professor Don Manuel Gonzalez Marti, his wife Amelia Cunat, and Monleon, ultimately becoming the National Ceramics Museum.
The then-Minister of Education, Don Joaquin Ruiz Jimenez, presided over the official inauguration of the Museum on June 18, 1954.
The National Museum of Ceramics and Arts receives world-renowned praise, not only for their vast exhibition of artistic works, but also for the intriguing history and beauty of the palace itself.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Full House for UM Frost Chorale in Barcelona

Incantato proudly presents the University of Miami Frost Chorale in Barcelona at Santa Maria del Mar on Tuesday, May 17 at 8 pm

The University of Miami Frost Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Joshua Habermann, will perform at Barcelona's Santa Maria del Mar on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 8 PM.
The first communities in what is now Barcelona were founded within the confines of the seaport, overlooking the "Mare Nostrom" and its old church in which Barcelona’s co-patron Saint Eulalia’s relics were buried in A.D. 303 following her martyrdom. This church, combined with a succession of churches on site, was referred to as "Santa   Maria de las Arenas". During the Middle Ages, the first homes outside the walls emerged as the sailing quarter and ultimately led to the creation of the “La Ribera” district, of which Santa Maria de las Arenas became the community’s parish. The devout members of the parish pledged to construct a beautiful church on the existing site. On March 25, 1329, the first stone was laid on the site of the present Santa Maria del Mar, also known as the “Cathedral of the Sea,” located on Santa Maria Street in Barcelona. The temple was consecrated by the Bishop of Barcelona, Pere de Planella, on August 15, 1384. It took fifty-four years of continuous construction to complete the structure. The basilica’s Catalan Gothic style, a style characteristic of purity and unity, is very unique for a medieval building of its massive size. The construction of Santa Maria del Mar even served as the background inspiration for the best-selling novel La cathedral del mar, published by Spanish author Ildefonso Falcones in 2006. Tourist reviews of the site not only compliment the beauty of the structure itself, but also rave about the acoustics of the interior. Many visit the church merely to attend musical performances.

University of Miami Frost Chorale Performance Overview

University of Miami Frost Chorale Spain Tour receives media coverage

The University of Miami Frost Chorale is about to embark on its 2011 Incantato Spain Performance Tour starting in Barcelona and ending in Madrid. "Cantemos" is the musical theme for the tour under the direction of Dr. Joshua Habermann. Marketing is just one of many key elements for good audiences, and the UM  performances are already being announced through internet as well as by other mass media. Here you have some quick links access: Barcelona:
Fundació Josep Carreras:

For Valencia:

Toledo:

Incantato proudly presents the St. Bonaventure's College Wind Ensemble & Chamber Choir at 18:45 at Convento San Silvestro on April 16 at 6:45 PM

The St. Bonaventure’s College Wind Ensemble and Chamber Choir, of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, will present a recital at Convento San Silvestro in Montecompatri on Saturday, April 16, 2011.
San Silvestro is a 16th century convent known for its picture gallery, featuring important sacred paintings from the 18th century made for worship and devotion for the Barefoot Carmelites, who were given the monastery in 1604 by Pope Clemente VIII. It was appreciated then for its forested solitude away from the city, which was perfect for quiet contemplation. Many years later, in 1874, the convent was sold to a nearby town for use as a home for old people. It was redeemed at public auction in 1905 and returned to religious service in 1920. It’s in Monte Compatri, a municipality about 20 kilometers southeast of Rome with beautiful views and lush land.

SBC in the news

A special Incantato Luncheon for our first Canadian Group: The Wind Ensemble and Chamber Choir from St. Bonaventure's College, Newfoundland

Highlight Concert for St. Bonaventure's College Chamber Choir in Maiori at 8 pm

Incantato Tours proudly presents the Saint Bonaventure's College Chamber Choir in concert at Chiesa di San Francesco in Maiori at 8:00PM on Thursday, April 14, 2011.

The beautiful Chiesa di San Francesco was constructed in 1405. It is located between the convent and the Cove of the Announced one (Grotta dell'Annunziata) in Maiori. The church has a rough history: In 1435 it was destroyed by the army of Muhammad II (Turkey) and rebuilt one year later by Saint Bernardino from Siena. A sea storm hit the Chiesa di San Francesco hard in 1440. It was destroyed and in 1517 reconstructed on the oriental side of the convent. But the work was interrupted again by a Turkish invasion. In 1590 the construction was finally completed. Last but not least there were several constructive modifications after two seas storm in 1631 and 1674. The church is famed world-wide for the miracle of the springing water in the convent. Please click here to go the picture's origin.

St. Bonaventure at the Papal Audience in the Vatican

SBC Chamber Choir sings at the Vatican

The St. Bonaventure’s College Chamber Choir sang Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 5:00 PM.

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.

Special visit to the Naples Conservatory for SMCC

Concert Impressions from YPAS in Schweiklberg, Germany