“Human progress rarely comes without a cost. And those early years in Jamestown, when three great civilizations came together for the first time — Western European, Native American and African — released a train of events which continues to have a profound social impact.”

Queen Elizabeth II, in an address to the Virginia General Assembly - May, 2007

Everyone here at Music Celebrations continues to be proud to have been an Official National Partner of America’s 400th Anniversary last year - the biggest birthday bash America has ever seen!

New public service announcements are now being distributed to 600 television stations across the U.S. to highlight the significance of America’s 400th Anniversary. Quoting from a recent press release:

“The 60-, 30- and 15-second spots were produced to build upon one of the commemoration’s major successes: Connecting Americans to the story of three cultures that came together in the Historic Triangle and forged lasting social patterns.”

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (CNN) — Christmas walks into Colonial Williamsburg on boots, battle-dress soft soles padding across cobblestones in the dusk of December’s first Sunday.

Turning 50 in 2008, the modern Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums field more than 100 players.

Tens of thousands of “guests,” as the city calls its tourists, fall to a hush when they hear a rhythmic click. More than 100 fife-and-drum artists are moving coolly, silently in 18th-century uniforms along lanes and pathways, striding in ghostly precision to the clicks of their drummers. They are eerily stone-faced youths, sturdily ignoring the modern masses pressing to glimpse them.

In the late 1700s, these teens might have been the first killed on fields of American Revolutionary battle. The noncombatant fifers and drummers were the communications units of their armies, ordering attacks, retreats and other maneuvers with their melodies and cadences.

Tonight, their command is a happy one. Their synchronized moves mean the annual Grand Illumination is starting in Williamsburg, and more than 25,000 visitors are reported on the streets to see them.

Click here for full article

I have recommended Music Celebrations to dozens of colleagues since I first worked with you in
2000. Your people in Tempe, AZ, and our on-site tour mangers have always been top-notch. I love the approach you take of multiple performances along with the sightseeing and tourist aspect. I have no use for the scores of companies that offer a “competition” with “nationally acclaimed judges”. With these experiences, your total performance time is about 15 minutes; three pieces, and you come home with six foot trophies for “best looking shoes”, or “first place in your division!” (when you were the only group in it!).

After 33 years in my career, I think I’m going to finish up in another 3 years and then figure out
what I want to do when I really grow up. I’ll probably do one more trip before I’m done and it will definitely be with Music Celebrations. I wouldn’t even consider anyone else.

Ray Mathieu, Band Director
Gorham High School

The Guerin Catholic High School GoldenVoice Choir, under the direction of Mark Duray, represented Indiana in America’s 400th Anniversary Commemoration in Jamestown, VA. GoldenVoice was part of a 1,607 voice choir that performed with an orchestra ensemble of 400 musicians to commemorate the year that Jamestown was founded and the anniversary year. The highlight of the weekend celebration was performing for the U.S. President and other dignitaries on Sunday afternoon, and performing again Sunday evening for over 15,000 spectators and watching the fireworks show that followed the program.

“The Festival was fantastic and all the arrangements, from travel to lodging to meals, were outstanding. The MCI staff was flexible and a pleasure to work with. I look foward to working with MCI again in the future. I will gladly serve as a reference.”

Mark Duray

The festival was well organized and truly “Patriotic”. Overall, the experience was second to none. We were proud to be a part of this monumental event and be included in the time capsule in some way, shape or form. Students agree that this was a once in a lifetime experience….one that they will never forget.

The fireworks were awesome. The actual performance with the 1607 singers was phenomenal, very patriotic and an “A-1″ musical experience. Our group especially enjoyed the opportunity to perform their own selections. This was a selling point for the many parents who decided to join us in Williamsburg/Jamestown. It was a great honor to represent our state, but a special honor to perform for a mass crowd and be appreciated and supported by our family and friends.

We greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into each and every group. You have made the experience a personalized one and for this my students have reaped the benefits. Having roots in early America, this Patriotic experience was great. The request for diversity in our towns brought many of our students together that would not normally get together. For this alone, we are truly thankful. We look forward to working with Music Celebrations again someday.

Now it’s time to bask in the glory of this once in a lifetime experience!!! One that we will never forget. Again, thanks to all those who helped us along the way. Our students were extremely well behaved and that was due to all your planning and execution of itinerary upon arrival in Jamestown.

I will definitely serve as a reference for MCI as this was my second positive tour with you!

Brian Hopkins
Warwick High School Choirs

My personal highlight was singing Battle Hymn of the Republic in front of 15,000 people and having them leap to their feet in a standing ovation!

All of the MCI staff I dealt with were very helpful, professional and ready to solve any problem. I will happily take part in other trips/tours with Music Celebrations, and I would gladly serve as a reference.

Dr. Thomas Hodgman
Adrian College Choir & Lenawee Community Chorus

Being a part of the 400 piece orchestra under the direction of JoAnn Falleta was toooooooo cool!! I was honored to get to meet her, take a picture with her, and spend a little time visiting with her. She was AMAZING!! It was also very nice to meet some of the members of the Virginia Symphony. My kids were absoluteLEE pumped when President Bush got on the podium and conducted. That is definitely something they will never forget.

Overall, we got to see quite a bit and I am grateful to Music Celebrations for making it possible. Things were extremely well organized – it was evident that much thought had gone into the planning. It was fun and at the same time very educational.

I would be happy to serve as a reference!

Karen McAfee, Director, Robert E. Lee High School Orchestra

What a wonderful time we had at the Jamestown Anniversary Celebration. The students had such fun, especially at Busch Gardens and then on Sunday singing with the mass choir!

The festival was great. The morning of the big performance day with the president coming in was a bit of a challenge. However, I personally felt it was good for my kids to experience the challenge and to see how “REAL” life can be.

Music Celebrations is always a great company to work with. Everyone was very accommodating, kind, cordial and patient.

My personal highlight was watching the whole thing come together and getting to work with professionals. What a learning experience it was for my kids and for me!

I would be happy to be a reference for anyone wishing to take a similar tour.

Thank you for this fabulous opportunity. It’s one we will never forget!!!

Ann Huff, Director
Enloe High School Chamber Choir & Women’s Ensemble

Please convey to your staff our deepest appreciation for our Jamestown Festival experience. This experience could not have been better musically or educationally. Every detail of the trip was outstanding: cost, preliminary information, housing, travel both by airline and by bus, staff courtesy, staff competency, and last, but certainly not least, the festival itself. After five trips and three national orchestras with Music Celebrations International, it would be easy for me to just expect and not appreciate just how much MCI provides for us. I want all of you to know just how much we do appreciate our entire experience, and that we are now looking forward to the next one.

Sincerely,

Mary Lou Jones, D.M.A.
Director of Orchestras
Liberty Sr. High School, MO

Williamsburg, Va.—The planners of America’s Anniversary Weekend today said they were pleased with attendance at the May 11-13 event and with positive comments they have received since the event. About 63,000 people visited the Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne and Anniversary Park, ensuring the venues were busy without straining transportation systems and other guest services.

Read the rest of the press release here.

On behalf of the Seattle Shores Chorus, I want to thank you for making the Jamestown celebration so memberable. The high points were the singing. The mass chorus rehearsals under Robert Shoup were magical. Singing the Star Spangled Banner and Battle Hymn of the Republic brought chills. What a fabulous audience to sing to. Singing with that group, for the President and First Lady were once in a lifetime experiences.

As you know, our stand alone was right after the President left. We scurried to change into our costume. It was rushed, but a perfect stage and time to do a stand alone. We must have had 250 people come into the Exploration Stage. They were drawn in by the music. Some people tried to leave, but then they decided to stay when we started another song.

It was such a fabulous experience! I know that everyone will remember it mostly with great fondness and put it up with one of their most memorable trips of their lives. If another once in a lifetime event occurs, please let us know!

Bonnie Willis, Director
Bonnie Massey, Tour Coordinator

Williamsburg, VA — Jamestown 2007 today announced that a one-hour program highlighting America’s Anniversary Weekend will air in more than 60 markets across the nation beginning Memorial Day Weekend and continuing through July 8.

If you attended the weekend, either as a performer or observer, send us your best photos to info@musiccelebrations.com and we’ll include them!*

*Credits: Jamestown 2007; Associated Press

The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall Concert Choir represented Connecticut in America’s Anniversary Weekend in Jamestown, VA. The Concert Choir joined other choirs from across the country to form a 1,607 voice choir (the year Jamestown was settled) and performed with a 400 piece orchestra (anniversary year). Several dignitaries were present, including President Bush and the First Lady and Sandra Day O’Connor.

The Jamestown experience (America’s 400th Anniversary Weekend) was truly a once in a lifetime experience and our students and chaperones all had a wonderful time. The tour was put together so well, and I commend MCI for all the hard work making sure everything was smooth. Our hotel was great, our bus and driver were wonderful and the activities scheduled were fun for all of us. I have nothing but praise for the whole experience. MCI was so easy to work with and I hope we will be able to work together again in the near future. Thanks again to you and your entire staff for making our trip one we will never forget!

Margy Sargent
The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall Concert Choir

Click here for the CNN video!

About 1,800 singers from across the nation gather for an enormous choral performance.

BY DAVID NICHOLSON
May 13, 2007

WILLIAMSBURG — 1,800 bottles of water. 1,800 dinners. 1,800 voices.

Choral groups from Maine to Hawaii converged on Jamestown this weekend to take part in today’s finale concerts ending the Jamestown 2007 America’s Anniversary Weekend.

They’ll be accompanied by a 400-piece orchestra, also drawn from across the country, to make up one of the largest musical ensembles this region has seen.

The roster of community choruses, children’s choruses and high school choruses was selected by Music Celebrations International, a tour operator based in Tempe, Ariz.

The event is billed as having 1,607 voices, but no one seemed to mind the extra troops.

“It’s a huge coordinated effort,” said John Wiscombe, president of the tour company. “We started working on it 18 months ago. We’ve probably got all the hotel rooms in town tied up.”

Click here for full article.

JAMESTOWN, Virginia (AP) — Fond of promoting the endurance of freedom, President Bush on Sunday hailed the nation’s humble beginnings as a reminder that new democracies require huge sacrifice.

“From our own history, we know the path to democracy is long and it’s hard,” Bush said in a ceremony honoring the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, America’s first permanent English colony.

“There are many challenges, and there are setbacks along the way,” Bush said. “Yet we can have confidence in the outcome because we’ve seen freedom’s power to transform societies.”

Bush’s speech came on the final day of the anniversary weekend, the centerpiece of an elaborate 18-month commemoration in the works for a decade.

Virginia has thrown major Jamestown celebrations every 50 years, but this one has given more recognition to three cultures — English, African and Indian — to tell a fuller story. Indians lost their land during the settlement, and Africans were eventually forced into slavery.

“Their story is a part of the story of Jamestown,” Bush said. “It reminds us that the work of American democracy is to constantly renew and to extend the blessings of liberty.”

The Bushes contributed items to a time capsule to be opened at the next grand celebration, in 50 years. They included a letter from them both, a gold coin and items from the queen’s recent visit to the White House.

As the exit music played, Bush did not quite exit. He exuberantly led the orchestra during part of its performance of “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Williamsburg, VA — Jamestown 2007 today announced CBS news anchor Russ Mitchell will host an hour-long nationally syndicated program honoring the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, America’s first permanent English settlement. Mitchell is news anchor of The Early Show and anchor of the Sunday Evening News.

Jamestown - Queen Elizabeth II returned to places honoring Virginia’s Colonial roots Friday for the first time in 50 years. The queen toured a replica of the fort colonists built at Jamestown 400 years ago as part of England’s first permanent settlement in North America.

She later examined archaeological excavations of the actual fort and artifacts recovered during the dig, such as chess pieces, iron knives and the claws of crabs settlers had eaten.

She had not seen the original fort site during her last visit because experts believed it was underwater and could not be found, but the remains were located 1996. Visiting the fort’s remnants, the queen said, left her “moved by the poignancy of walking around the archaeological site where the original fort once stood.”

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Vice President Dick Cheney and wife Lynne will travel to Jamestown Friday to tour the site of the nation’s first permanent English settlement alongside British Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Cheney’s spokesman said Tuesday.

The vice president will offer welcoming remarks at Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne in connection with Jamestown 2007, an 18-month commemoration of the site’s 400th anniversary.

Cheney also will attend a lunch in the queen’s honor in Williamsburg.

In January, he spoke at the start of the 2007 legislative session, which convened in Jamestown.

Jamie Hennigan, a Cheney spokesman, said the vice president is looking forward to returning to Jamestown.

“He’s very excited to be coming back,” Hennigan said.

White House announces President’s visit to event honoring Jamestown’s 400th anniversary

Williamsburg, VA — The White House announced today that President George W. Bush will participate in ceremonies honoring the 400th anniversary of Jamestown on May 13, the final day of America’s Anniversary Weekend. The President will join thousands of Americans who will gather at Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement and Anniversary Park during the May 11 - 13 event to commemorate the 1607 founding of the first permanent English settlement in America.

Everyone here at Music Celebrations would like to take a moment to recognize the following outstanding music ensembles from across the United States that were invited and accepted to perform in commemoration of America’s 400th Anniversary, May 11 - 13.

Long Beach Unified School District Honor Choir, California
Turlock High School Madrigals, California
Lauralton Hall Concert Choir, Connecticut
Wilmington Children’s Chorus, Delaware
Florida Youth Orchestra, Florida
Savannah Country Day School Chorus, Georgia
Hawai’i Youth Opera Chorus, Hawai’i
Opera Idaho Teen Chorus, Idaho
Elgin Choral Union, Illinois
Roosevelt Magnet School Chorus, Illinois
Guerin Catholic High School Chorus, Indiana
East Baton Rouge Children’s Chorus, Louisiana
Severna Park High School Vocal Ensemble, Maryland
Fine Arts Chorale, Massachusetts
Nashoba Valley Chorale Choir, Massachusetts
Newton South Chorale, Massachusetts
Adrian College Choir & Lenawee Community Chorus, Michigan
Shepherd of the Valley Senior Choir, Minnesota
French Camp Academy Choir, Mississippi
Liberty High School Orchestra, Missouri
Raymore-Peculiar Concert Choir, Missouri
Dillon Junior Fiddlers, Montana
Pinkerton Academy Chorus, New Hampshire
Washington Township High School Choir, New Jersey
Washington Township High School Orchestra, New Jersey
Central Islip High School Choir, New York
Enloe High School Choir, North Carolina
Century High School Choirs, North Dakota
Tualatin High School Concert Choir, Oregon
Catasauqua High School Choir, Pennsylvania
Haverford High School Symphony Orchestra, Pennsylvania
Nazareth High School Choir, Pennsylvania
Penncrest High School Mixed Choruses, Pennsylvania
Selinsgrove Area High School Honors Choir, Pennsylvania
Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, Pennsylvania
West Allegheny High School Chorus, Pennsylvania
West Warwick High School Choir, Rhode Island
Capital City Children’s Chorus, South Dakota
Croft Middle School Orchestra, Tennessee
Jackson State Innovation Ensemble, Tennessee
Robert E. Lee High School Orchestra, Texas
Utah Festival Opera Youth Orchestra, Utah
Randolph Singers, Vermont
Alexandria Harmonizers, Virginia
Bay Youth Symphony Orchestra, Virginia
Blaskapelle Alte Kameraden, Virginia
The Chamber Singers of Bruton High School, Virginia
Colonial Forge Wind Ensemble, Virginia
Flute Frenzy, Virginia
Jamestown Elementary School Chorus, Virginia
Jamestown High School Wind Ensemble, Virginia
Stonewall Brigade Band, Virginia
Eastern Virginia Brass Quintet, Virginia
Fairfax Choral Society Youth Chorus, Virginia
Richmond Men’s Chorus, Virginia
Roanoke Valley Community Band, Virginia
Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Virginia
Virginia Symphony Chorus, Virginia
Williamsburg Youth Orchestra, Virginia
Master Chorus Eastside, Washington
Seattle Shores Chorus, Washington
West Potomac Colonial Singers, Virginia
Lawrence Academy Girls Choir, Wisconsin