Iphone pictures and videos from the WRA concert in Lisbon

Western Reserve Academy presents highlight concert in Lisbon today at Palacio Foz

What a magical venue for the last formal concert of the 2012 Western Reserve Academy Choir and Ensemble Performance tour to Spain and Portugal: Under the direction of Mrs. Margaret Karam and Mr. Edward Wiles, the students from Hudson, OH will be performing at the beautiful Mirror Hall of Palacio Foz in Lisbon on Tuesday, March 20, at 8:00 pm.

The neo-classical Palácio Foz was designed by the Italian architect Francisco Xavier Fabri and built shortly after the great earthquake in 1755, for the Marquês de Castelo Melhor. It was purchased by the Marquês de Foz in 1886 when it received the first of many facelifts. It now houses, among other things, the Headquarters of Lisbon’s Tourist Information centres and an art gallery. It is magnificently decorated on the inside and the ballroom features outstanding paintings by Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (1857-1929), one of the leading painters of his generation and a master of realism in Portugal.

Impressions and student reports from the WRA visit and performance at La Rabida Monastery in Huelva, Spain

Peter Thewissen: "Today we went to the monastery where the cross in the chapel came from. We listened to a beautiful Spanish church service and talked with a monk about the history of our cross. We had free time in Sevilla, and finished with a dinner of the tradicional spanish dish, tapas."

Alex Eliopoulos: "Hola!Today we sang in a monastery in Huelva; the same monestary that James Ellsworth got the cross that is currently hanging in the Chapel.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The sun was out, and the sky was bright blue all day. We had some free time downtown, and there was a medieval fair. It was very fun, and incredibly lively. Next, we spent some time in Sevilla, and got a little shopping done. It was also incredibly beautiful. Sevilla is definitely my favorite city in Spain."

Simon Boes" "Today we sang in the monastery where Christopher Colombus prayed for money before he departed. After posing with a monk for some pictures, we spent the next hour at a medieval festival! After that we returned to Seville and spent the next three hours wandering around the city. It was absolutely stunning!"

First pictures from the Western Reserve Academy Tour

Western Reserve Academy en Espana

CORO Y CONJUNTO WESTERN RESERVE ACADEMY: GIRA ESPAÑA Y PORTUGAL 2012 PRIMAVERA: DEL NUEVO AL VIEJO MUNDO 
Una celebración de música, tradiciones y amistad

De: Hudson, Ohio, EEUU Directora Coro: Dña. Margaret Karam Director Conjunto: D. Edward Wiles

RESEÑA SOBRE WESTERN RESERVE ACADEMY CHOIR AND ENSEMBLE

Western Reserve Academy es un Colegio de Enseñanza Secundaria e Internado Mixto cuya fundación data del año 1826. Situada en elHudson histórico, en el estado de Ohio, (EEUU), Western Reserve Academy cuenta con estudiantes provenientes de 17 países, y de 25 estados diferentes dentro de los Estados Unidos.

Casi la mitad de los estudiantes son miembros de los conjuntos del Programa de la Escuela de Música: Coro, Orquesta, Symphonic WInds y Jazz Band, de los cuales se compone el CORO Y CONJUNTO WESTERN RESERVE ACADEMY.

Estos artistas presentan una serie de conciertos amplia y variada cada año, colaborando con frecuencia en la interpretación de obras maestras de gran formato.

Entre sus actuaciones más recientes cabe destacar el Réquiem de Mozart, La Creación de Haydn, Carmina Burana de Orff, Las CuatroEstaciones de Vivaldi y de modo anual, el Mesías de Sing. Muchos antiguos miembros continúan actuando en algunas de las mejoresuniversidades y conservatorios en los EE.UU. El Coro y Conjunto de la Academia ha actuado en escenarios de todo el mundo, incluyendoel Conservatorio de Pekín, San Charleskirche en Viena, Basílica de San Marco de Venecia, o la Basílica de San Pedro del Vaticano, y ha realizado giras por toda Europa y China.

Los estudiantes de Western Reserve Academy escogen esta institución para sus estudios tanto por su excelencia académica en el arte, como por el compromiso de la escuela con un conjunto de valores fundamentales: la excelencia, la integridad y la compasión. La Directora del Coro, Doña Margaret Karam, es asimismo la Directora de la Misión Social, y Catedrática de Artes Interpretativas y Bellas Artes en la Western Reserve Academy.
ACTUACIONES

·       Miércoles 14, Toledo, Iglesia de San Pedro Mártir, Concierto a las 7,30 pm..

·       Viernes 16, Córdoba, Auditorio del Conservatorio Profesional de Música, Concierto Conjunto con la Orquesta del Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Córdoba, a las 7,30 pm

·       Domingo 18, Huelva, Monasterio de la Rábida, Misa Coral y Concierto, a la 1 pm.

·       Martes 20, Lisboa, Palacio Foz, Concierto a las 8 pm.

Acompañamientos en la celebración de la Misa:

Miércoles 14 marzo, Catedral de Toledo, 10,30 am.

Sábado 17 marzo, Iglesia del Salvador, Sevilla, 8 pm.

Domingo 18 marzo, Monasterio de la Rábida, Huelva, 1 pm.

A glimpse of Spain during the holidays

As you know, Spain is one of Incantato's favorite destinations and in 2011, we proudly brought the University of Miami Frost Chorale to this wonderful country. Now let us share some holiday traditions with you: On December 22 almost everyone in Spain takes part in the Christmas Lottery, and prizes are celebrated in style out in the streets. Christmas Eve (December 24) and Christmas Day (December 25) brings families together. Traditional dishes such as lamb and sea bream are prepared, along with seasonal desserts such as turrón (rich sweet made with almonds), polvorones (crumbly shortbread) and marzipan. Many attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

December 28,  the Day of the Santos Inocentes, where people play pranks on each other similar to those of April Fools’ Day. Novelty items purchased at street markets add to the entertainment. Bid farewell to the year with the New Year’s Eve celebrations on December 31. Tradition has it that you have to eat 12 grapes one by one, in time with the striking of the clock at midnight on December 31. If you manage to eat all the grapes on time, you are in for a year of prosperity and good luck. People  also gather at the clock towers in their towns or cities (usually found in the main square) to toast and welcome the new year. Puerta del Sol Square in Madrid is a popular place to spend New Year's Eve. Thousands of people decked out with hats and squawkers joyfully toast in the New Year. Celebrations continue throughout the night at hotels, bars and clubs throughout Spain.

Another tradition is found in Alcoy, where young and old alike anticipate Christmas and the arrival of the Three Wise Men with special excitement. On the Sunday before January 6 (Epiphany), a  children’s parade called “les Pastoretes” (the little shepherds) is held. Children dressed up as shepherds parade with their flocks to give gifts to the new-born Baby Jesus. Excitement builds until January 4 when the Royal Envoy reads a royal proclamation announcing the coming of Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, The Envoy is accompanied by “les Burretes,” small donkeys that carry letterboxes where the children put their letters to the Three Wise Men.

Finally, when night falls on January 5, the Three Wise Men make their spectacular entry into Alcoy, riding camels and loaded with presents. Torch bearers (antorcheros) light the way as the Wise Men ride through the streets of the town. Christmas carols fill the air as the royal pages (“les negres”) hand out presents to the children.

Here are some links for additional information on:
Holiday traditions in Spain, New Year's Eve in Spain, the Three Wise Men visit 
In 2012, Incantato Tours is honored to be sending the Western Reserve Academy Choir and Ensemble to Spain as well as the Marina High School Touring Choir. 

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!

Full house for Western Reserve Academy Choir & Ensemble in Calvi

What a special night it was for the WRA singers and musicians! The students performed to a full house in the beautiful baroque church of Calvi dell'Umbria, a small town perched high upon the hill where the mayor had warmly welcomed them with a special tour prior to the performance and a reception afterwards in the town hall. The audience was very moved by the concert and rewarded the groups under the direction of Mrs. Margaret Karam with minute-long applause. Vice-Mayor Luca thanked the travelers for coming to his town and hoped that the students one day return with their own families. "It was our honor to have you here tonight. Thank you for sharing your gift of music, we will never forget you." As a special souvenir, Mrs. Karam also received a painting that was created during the concert by local artist Valvan. He titled it "Libertà!".



Here is short video from the concert.
For more information on the Western Reserve Academy 2010 Italy Tour, please visit their Incantato Tour blog.

Two meals and two movies - Welcome aboard Lufthansa

The WRA Tour is about to take off on Incantato's preferred airline: Lufthansa.
After your short commuter flights, the 39 members of the 2010 Western Reserve Academy Italy Tour, are boarding the German airline for the long-haul and inter-European journey. While we recommend that you do get some sleep on the transatlantic overnight flight, you are in for several treats such as hot towels to refresh yourself shortly after take-off, two warm meals served with salad and dessert plus two or more recent movies. For more information on the on-board experience, visit Lufthansa's website.

We proudly present: The WRA Incantato Concert Postcard

Over 2000 of these custom designed Incantato concert postcards have been printed and are currently distributed locally in Italy to announce the 2010 Western Reserve Academy Performance Tour to Italy. Incantato Tours takes great pride in providing the fine ensembles traveling with our organization with professional marketing materials to ensure the local audiences are aware of the group's performances and their high level of musicianship.