Incantato Impressions: Dublin

Ever Had An Irish Boxty?

While in Dubin, you might get a craving for an Irish Boxty (an Irish Potato Pankcake filled with vegetables, meats, and cheeses, then rolled up and topped with sour cream). If that is the case, then look no further than Gallagher's Boxy House, conveniently located in the Temple Bar District.
This wonderful traditional Irish restaurant not only has an extensive menu, but is also vegetarian friendly, with several vegetarian options to choose from. Here, is a Vegetarian Chili and Cheese Boxty. Yum!
Enjoy!

Souvenirs in Dublin

Most of us buy souvenirs for our loved ones back home wherever we travel, but sometimes we have a hard time finding the perfect gift. In Dublin, they have a one-stop shop that can pretty much take care of even the most difficult person on your list!
Carroll's is a Irish gift shop that can be found all over Dublin. There is one on almost every major street, and they carry almost anything you can imagine. They even carry much of merchandise that is found at the Guiness factory, so if you do not make it there for a visit and a pint, then you can always bring back something for that Guiness drinker you know, just by visiting Carrolls.

Take a look at just the amount of key chains alone they have!
Of course, if you are looking for something more traditional and hand-made, you can always visit the Irish Celtic Craftshop. They carry hand-carved ornaments, hand-made sweaters, drums dolls, etc. This store can be found right down the street from Christchurch and the Jurys Inn Christchurch hotel.



Enjoy your shopping!

Guinness, anyone?

One of the highlight attractions in Dublin is the Guinness Storehouse on St. James Street. Here, you can learn about the history of Guinness and how it is made, as well how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. You can also enjoy a pint in the 360 degree panoramic bar and buy plenty of souvenirs to take home to your beloved Guinness-lovers back in the states!

As we say in Ireland, Slainte! (Good Health!)

Occidental Glee Club Singing At St. Patrick's Cathedral

Want traditional Fish and Chips in Dublin?

Dating back to 1198, The Brazen Head is Ireland's oldest pub. When you consider that licensing laws only came into effect in 1635, this pub has been serving alcohol even before licensing laws were enacted! A short walk from Christchurch Cathedral and The Guinness Brewery, The Brazen Head is well worth the visit.

The pub has three rooms, a small bar and restaurant room on the first floor, and a large function room for groups on the second floor. Of course, when the weather is nice you can soak up the atmosphere in the very quaint enclosed cobbled stone courtyard!

On May 25 at 1 pm Incantato Tours proudly presents the Occidental College Glee Club at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin

To finalize this amazing tour, Occidental College Glee Club under the direction of Desiree LaVertu will be participating in a lunch time recital at the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, the largest church in Ireland, today, May 25, at 1 pm.
Built in honour of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral stands adjacent to the famous well where tradition has it Saint Patrick baptized converts on his visit to Dublin. A church was built on this site in 1191 and in 1991 they celebrated 800 years of worship. The present building dates from 1220 and during the years it had been extended again and again.
The Cathedral is today the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland (Anglican). The basis of the present building was built between 1191 and 1270, though little now remains of the earliest work beyond the Baptistry. Much of the work was overseen by Henry of London, a friend of the King of England and signatory of the Magna Carta, who was also involved in the construction of Dublin's city walls and Dublin Castle. The tower (Minot's Tower) and west nave were rebuilt between 1362 and 1370, following a fire. In 1560, one of Dublin's first public clocks was erected in "St. Patrick's Steeple".
Throughout its long history the cathedral has contributed much to Irish life, and one key aspect of this relates to the writer and satirist Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, who was Dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745. Swift took a great interest in the building, its services and music and in what would now be called social welfare, funding an almshouse for poor women and Saint Patrick's Hospital.
The Choir School, which had been founded in 1432, supplied many of its members to take part in the very first performance of Handel's Messiah in 1742. It continues and although originally all-male, now also admits girls; a Cathedral Girls' Choir was founded in 2000 and sings once or twice a week. The Organ of St. Patrick's Cathedral is one of the largest in Ireland with over 4,000 pipes. Parts of it date from a Renatus Harris instrument of 1695. It was restored in the 1890s and in 1963.

The Occidental College Glee Club sings at St. Augustine’s Church, Cork, today (May 24) at 8 PM

St. Augustine’s Church in Cork is today's venue for the Occidental College Glee Club at 8 pm. The Augustinians, the Order of St. Augustine, owe their origins to Saint Augustine (354-430 AD), from Hippo in Algeria, who inspired men and women to live in religious communities.
By the 13th century many different Augustinian communities existed and in 1256 Pope Alexander IV created the Grand Union of all existing Augustinian Congregations to form what we know today as the Order of St. Augustine.
The Order of St. Augustine came to Cork some time between 1270 and 1300. As the Augustinian historian, Fr. Thomas C. Butler OSA writes: "If we take 1272 as a date of petition for approval to open a foundation in Cork, it would have taken some years for the planning and building so we can safely assume that the latter took place between 1275 and 1285.
The Priory was dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity, but was recorded on ancient maps as St. Austin's 1545 and St. Augustine's 1610. Later still it became known as the "Red Abbey" because of the red sandstone used in the church. The Towers were added after the middle of the 14th century.
The Red Abbey was raided in 1630, but the friars, forewarned, had fled. This was a short lived closure and the friars were back again, until 1644 when all priests and friars were expelled from the city, and the Red Abbey was taken over by the protestant Dean of Cork, Richard Boyle.Lady Fanshawe leased the Red Abbey, but had to leave when Cromwell came in 1649, and stabled his horses in the building.
Returns on the State of Popery for 1766 give "a friary - Augustinian - in Fishamble Lane. It was located where a side entrance leads into the Franciscan church. Formerly Mill St, the site of the church is shown on De Rocque's map of 1759.
In 1776 the friars were living in an old tottering house, with an old tottering chapel nearby. They started to look for a suitable site and ran into difficulty with the bishop of Cork. The friary in Fishamble Lane was in the parish of St. Finbar's, and the new site was in SS Peter and Paul's.In 1778 the Augustinians chose a site on Brunswick St, at the time within the South Parish. Again the Bishop objected, but the Augustinians decided to go ahead with a chapel and dwelling in Brunswick St. now known as St. Augustine's Lane. The community was suspended by the Bishop. The case was taken to Rome.
A decision was given in favour of the friars, with a command to the bishop to bless and open the church when completed. The first stone was laid on November 27th 1780. The Bishop complied with the mandate from the Holy See, and he blessed the new church on June 4th 1781, and he restored the Prior and community to the jurisdiction of the diocese.
The church was extended in 1872 and the Priory built on Washington St, known then as Great George St. The present church structure was built in 1942 and furthered extended in 1972. The Priory was rebuilt in 1982.

The Occidental College Glee Club performs at the Danny Mann Pub in Killarney on May 22 at 7 PM

Today, Saturday, May 22, at 7 pm the Danny Mann Pub in Killarney will turn into a performance venue for the travelers of the Occidental College Glee Club under the direction of Desiree LaVertu. The Danny Mann is a hotel pub that is renowned as one of the best centers for Irish music, singing and dancing in all of Killarney. Here you will find locals and visitors alike joining with the band to sing together. You might be lucky enough to hear a joke or a tale from long ago. The Danny Mann Pub has brought traditional Irish music and good times to Killarney for over 70 years.

The Occidental College Glee Club sings at St Mary’s Church of Ireland in Killarney on May 21 at 8 PM

The beautiful St Mary’s Church of Ireland in Killarney is the second performance venue for the Occidental College Glee Club from Los Angeles today, Friday, May 21, at 8 pm.
St. Mary's Cathedral in Killarney is a Roman Catholic cathedral in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. The diocese of Kerry, or Ardfert and Ahadoe as it is sometimes called, was ruled by vicars apostolic from the mid-16th century until the early 18th century, with the exception of a brief few years in the 1640s. The 18th century Bishops of Kerry resided at Dingle, Kilcummin, Tuogh, Listowel and Tralee, from 1720 until 1775. In the latter years Bishop Francis Moylan (1775-87) established the see at Killarney.
Before the construction of Killarney cathedral there was a small chapel in Chapel Lane, of which the font survives in the baptistery of the present cathedral. The idea of building a cathedral was started by Fr. Joseph O'Sullivan, curate of Dingle, who roused the enthusiasm of Bishop Cornelius Egan (1824-1856) and the 2nd Earl of Kenmare (1788-1853), a local Catholic landowner.

Occidental College Exchange Concert Tonight, May 20, at the Franciscan Abbey in Galway

The travellers of the Occidental College Glee Club are getting ready for their exchange concert in Galyway tonight at 7.30 pm:
The Franciscan Abbey was founded in 1296. In 1483 a school of advanced theology was instituted there. About 40 years later, Maurice O Fihely, archbishop of Tuam, was buried in the church. 1657 the friary was destroyed and the church was made into a court house (the present court house stands on the same site). In 1660 a church was erected on the present site. The only novitiate of which they have definite information was opened here in 1774. The church was rebuilt in 1781 and around 1836 the present chuch was opened; present friary was built or rebuilt in 1820, and renovated recently. The organ of the Abbey, Galway, is placed in the gallery at the back of the church, and is divided between two cases to avoid obscuring a large stained-glass window in the centre. The swell and pedal divisions are located in the left case (as seen from the church, facing the back) and the great in the right. The console is beside the left case, and faces sideways across the rather narrow gallery. The instrument has a pleasant, sweet sound with good definition and a fast, ready response from the action. The picture is from the official website of the Irish Franciscans.

Occidental Glee Club starts their Ireland Tour with a concert at the Gothic Church at Kylemore Abbey on May 20 at noon

On May 20, the Occidental College Glee Club under the direction of Desiree LaVertu travels to Kylemore Abbey and presents the first formal concert of their Incantato Ireland tour at noon.
Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I. Originally called Kylemore Castle, it was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician from Manchester, England who was also MP for Galway County from 1871 to 1885. Architects were James Franklin Fuller and Ussher Roberts. After the death of his wife Margaret in 1875, Mitchell did not spend much time there. He and his wife are both buried in the small mausoleum near the church in the grounds of the abbey.
A notable feature of the abbey is the neo-Gothic church, a miniature replica of Norwich Cathedral, made from local green Connemara marble. It was built between 1877 and 1881 and has a beautiful stained glass tracery window depicts the five graces; Fortitude, Faith, Charity, Hope and Chastity, and it is a center of reflection and prayer for many visitors.

Occidental College Glee Club Concert Announced on the Web

The Ireland Performance Tour of the Occidental College Glee Club is just around the corner. Their performance on May 25 at the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral (1 pm) is now listed on the official Dublin Tourism website. Check out the concert announcement on the web!

Press conference for Chorfreude 2011 coming up on May 18

Here is a first sneak peak at the 2011 Chorfreude Festival in Germany. More details will be released on Tuesday, May 18 2010 in a press conference.

Countdown for the Occidental Glee Club 2010 Incantato Ireland Tour

The Occidental Glee Club under the direction of Mrs. Desiree LaVertu is heading to Ireland on May 18 and will be presenting concerts at Kylemore Abbey, in Galway, Killarney, Cork and Dublin. Below is their concert card which is distributed throughout Ireland. Incantato takes great pride in providing the fine ensembles touring with us to Europe with excellent marketing.

A new way of traveling with Incantato Tours: River Cruising in Europe

Incantato is pleased to announce that we are honored to welcome the Youth Performance Arts School (YPAS) from Louisville, KY back as a traveling group in 2011. After touring Spain with us in 2009, Dr. Timothy Glasscock and his students are looking forward to traveling to Central Europe next and what better way to see the beauty of the magical Danube Delta than from the actual river and aboard a cruise ship. For large groups like YPAS this luxurious way and most comfortable of touring can actually be quite affordable and is comparable to a traditional bus tour.
Here is a brief introduction about that journey that can also be found on the YPAS Tour blog.


Dearest Singers, Musicians, Parents, Family and Friends of the YPAS Choirs & Orchestra.

We are so excited to share the news about the upcoming YPAS Performance Cruise with you all and hope that we get anough aboard to fully charter the wonderful 4 star superior MS AMALYRA from AmaWaterways to take you all from Budapest via Slovakia and Austria to Germany and Prague from April 2 to 11.

You will be for eight nights on the ship with full board (meaning all meals and most beverages are covered and I can tell you the food is amazing) and one night + dinner/breakfast in a nice hotel in Prague. There will be amazing concert opportunities for the singers and hopefully many of the orchestra players can join the touring ensemble as well to present a major work like the Mozart Requiem in original venues this music was composed for such as the Baroque Abbey Church of Goettweig.

Auf Wiedersehen from all of us at Incantato

P.S. Click here for pictures and a video of the AMAWaterways Cruise experience and just imagine that all the guests you see are people that you know from YPAS or their family and friends.

If you are interested in taking your group on an Incantato River Cruise with AMAWaterways, then email us to info@incantatotours.com or call 646-696-1195.

Here is a photo album from a personal cruise experience in November 2009:

Incantato Tours proudly presents: The Bob Cole Conservatory Choir 2010 International Tour Poster

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!