Several staff members at Music Celebrations recently participated in our annual “FAM Tour”, which took us to Budapest, Eisenstadt & Vienna in preparation of the big 2009 Haydn year.

Highlights of the time in Budapest were visits to wonderful venues including the Liszt Hall, St. Margaret’s School, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Mathias Church and the Hungarian Culture Center.

Highlights of Eisenstadt were visits to Esterhazy Palace, the Haydnsaal, Haydn’s house, and Bergkirche (where Haydn’s body is laid to rest).

Highlights of Vienna included the House of Music, the Hofburg with its collection of musical instruments, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna Konzerthaus (Haydn Festival venue) and the Piaristenkeller restaurant, where we donned hats from the Hapsburg Empire era.

We are all very excited about the 2009 year and exciting Haydn Festivals we are organizing. All will be fantastic events!

We really enjoyed our tour to central Europe and all the performances. We were especially pleased with the audiences’ response to our singing. I thank you all for everything that you did behind the scenes to make this a really memorable experience for all of us. It was only once we were in each country that we could begin to fathom how much preparation was done to make things run so smoothly. You seem to have an excellent network of people to carry out the tours with such aplomb.

It was exciting to sing in churches with such history! Mátyás Church in Budapest, Karlskirche in Vienna, and St. Nicholas in Prague were all very impressive venues and each had excellent acoustics.

Our tour manager, Patrick, was really first class. He was professional in every way and did his best to accommodate everything we needed, and always very cheerfully. While he was very friendly with the students, he maintained a certain professional distance that was very intelligent.

I will be glad to serve as a reference.

Christine Jordanoff, Duquesne University Voices of Spirit

Morten Lauridsen received a lifetime achievement award from the NEA last week, presented at the White House by President George Bush. We will perform Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna in Vienna at the 2009 Haydn Choral Festival under the direction of Jo-Michael Scheibe.

He is the first USC professor and third alum to receive the lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

By Ljiljana Grubisic

President Bush awards the National Medal of Arts to composer Morten Lauridsen at a White House ceremony.

Photo/Michael Stewart, National Endowment for the ArtsMorten Lauridsen, professor of composition at the USC Thornton School of Music for more than 30 years and a three-time alumnus (BM ’66, MA ’68, DMA ’74) has been awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest recognition given by the National Endowment for the Arts to artists and patrons in the fields of visual, performing and literary arts.

Lauridsen’s lifetime achievement award recognizes his preeminent place in the choral music of the 20th century. The medal was presented today by President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush in a special ceremony at the White House.

President Bush noted, “Our honorees represent the great strength and diversity of the American culture.”

After the president’s introduction, a military aide read the names and contributions of the winners.

Lauridsen won the honor, according to the official citation, for “his composition of radiant choral works combining musical power, beauty and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide.”

Lauridsen is only one of eight classical composers, including Aaron Copland and Elliott Carter, to receive the award. Last year the NEA named him an “American choral master.”

Click here for the full article

The University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble was recently selected to be a representative of Arkansas for the American Celebration of Music in Austria in May 2008.

The celebration is a series of concerts throughout 2008 by American orchestras, choirs, wind ensembles or dance troupes.

Pending fundraising success, the UCA group will perform two concerts in Salzburg and two in Vienna from May 5-12.

According to Music Celebrations International, “the festival incorporates the concerts into various special musical celebrations taking place in Austria.

Music and dance groups are featured in a variety of performing venues, from historic cathedrals and concert halls to palaces, spa resorts and historic outdoor settings.”

Click here for full article

The Konzerthaus in Vienna, site of the 2009 Haydn Anniversary Festivals, was recently ranked as the 6th best concert hall in the world by About.com.

In our opinion, the Lucerne Festival and post tour to Austria was an overwhelming success and I can tell you without fear of overstatement that every member of our traveling group had a fantastic and memorable experience.

The highlight for us was the concert in Lucerne. The rehearsals and the wonderful interaction with Eph Ehly, his messages for life and his energy and positive re-enforcement will long be remembered. He is an extraordinary individual and teacher. He made each singer feel important and valuable and won us over to him immediately.

Our hats are off to all of you at Music Celebrations. You guys are a class act indeed.

Southern California Mormon Choir

Great tour from anyone’s standards! It more than met our expectations. The venues were well chosen and the audiences were warm and receptive, making our concerts wonderful experiences for our singers. Our tour managers were first class and all the meals and hotels were ideal for a group such as ours.

Doug Lawrence
Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

Great tour! Everyone was extremely happy with the experience. Helena, our tour manager, was wonderful. Concert venues were fabulous!

Barbara Walker, Director
Livingston Parish Children’s Choir

Every aspect of our trip exceeded my expectations. The variety of the places that we visited was very good. Markus, our guide was professional, and also fun to have around.

Susan Tarleton, tour participant

Austria’s sights are the most breathtaking of any that I have seen thus far. Markus and Helene worked their bums off to keep schedules on time and in line inspite of the ever changing occurances. Both guides were extremely professional and yes, were fun to have around. Our children, hopefully have had a cultural learning experience from this that will last a life time. Hey, let’s do it again!!!!!

Valerie Maples, tour participant

This trip was such a great experience. Not only did I become closer to the choir members, but close to Austrian children also, including Helene. She was the greatest. The sights were amazing and the experience will stay with me forever.

Mickie Hagan, tour participant

The tour was awesome!I’ve never seen such breathtaking scenery or more beautiful churches…memories for a lifetime.

Bobbie Patterson, tour participant

This was a truly fabulous trip; the scenery was outstanding and the music was gorgeous. We loved the salt mine tour, city tours (Salzburg, Vienna, etc) and the opportunity to eat “Austrian hot dogs.” Fabulous food and great shopping in Innsbruck!

Becky Decker, tour participant

The tour was fabulous! The tour managers were all great and very receptive, the bus drivers were also very good, site-seeing was great with a nice balance of free time and guided tours. The hotels and food were the best ever - no complaints from anyone. Mitchell Klein (conductor) feels this was the best tour ever for the Peninsula Youth Orchestra with excellent venues and good audiences. Jon Nakamatsu was well taken care of with practice pianos, and the audiences we got really responded to him as well. Big compliments to Music Celebrations!!

Sara Salsbury, Director & Tour Coordinator

Well done, MCI. The entire tour was a trip of a lifetime for the Waubonsie students and parent chaperones. The concerts were the highlights. The Military History Museum in Budapest was an excellent venue – well attended (100+). The audience there loved our musical selections and asked for an encore. Performing at the Vienna Institute for the Blind was the most emotional performance. Our students felt a very strong connection with the students. St. Nicholas Church in Prague was wonderful. Absolutely beautiful venue – an amazing place to perform and well attended. I would recommend Music Celebrations without hesitation.

Dr. John (Will) Burck, Jr.
Waubonsie Valley High School Orchestra

The trip to Austria was really great and well organized. Everything went smoothly and it was just as it should have been and the only complaint I heard was about the heat and humidity. The whole thing was very, very well done and people had a great time! I would be happy to serve as a reference and hope to work with Music Celebrations again in the future.

Dr. Randi Von Ellefson
Canterbury Choral Society
Oklahoma City University

The Highlands High School Schola Cantorum, under the direction of Justin Durham, recently returned from touring and performing in the cities of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague as part of the American Celebration of Music concert series. While on tour, Justin kept a daily blog of their activities which can be accessed here.

The following is from Justin’s feedback and excerpts from his blog:

It was a great tour. Everything was positive. It is hard to nail down one highlight. I personally enjoyed the first concert in Vienna’s Karlskirche. I was truly surprised at the number in attendance (over 300!!) and their reaction to our performance. I think the kids sang the best there as well. Overall I enjoyed seeing 16 months of planning pay off in the experience for the students and parents who went.

For the students I think it’s a toss-up. Those who went on the excursion to the horse show (Budapest) really enjoyed that experience. If I had to say a whole group highlight, I’d say it was the impromptu performance in Prague in front of the Astronomical clock where hundreds gathered to hear. They were really wound up after that and they seemed to be singing because they loved to do it. It was a neat thing.

Both of our Tour Managers couldn’t’ be better. They are amazing! I don’t want to travel with any other managers. They were absolutely terrific. They both went out of their ways to provide a better experience and more opportunities for people to enjoy their time in each city. They each went above their call to duty and I’m so thankful they were with us.

It was a wonderful experience and I would be glad to serve as a reference.

Justin Durham

We are back from the tour, and I wanted to just write and tell you how extraordinary this entire experience was for all of us.

First of all, let me say that (your staff) were exceptional in helping us make this tour happen. I couldn’t have asked for more cooperation, more assistance or competence than we got from each of them. Everyone I worked with in your office was great. I feel like I’ve made new friends.

The next kudos goes to Philipp Malzl, our tour manager, and Heinz Karner, the bus driver. Philipp was beyond extraordinary, especially in his organization and preparation, and his willingness to be flexible and keep a good sense of humor with each member of the group. He also went the extra mile (or, I suppose, the extra kilometer) on many occasions, as did Heinz. Heinz was not only a good driver, but erudite and knowledgeable (as the teacher he is) in his own right, especially in his unique insights when we got to Eisenstadt. Each member of the group grew so fond of both of these gentlemen.

For me, the performances were the highlights. They were all great, but the Vienna concert was probably my favorite. At each venue, we were received very warmly and enthusiastically by the audiences.

The entire group enjoyed the dinner at the home of Dr. Jutta Unkart-Seifert. This was a major highlight of the trip for everyone. An extraordinary evening. A most gracious host, a most interesting apartment, delicious food, and she was quite enthusiastic, not only about the two songs the choir sang, but the four students who sang solo. And she sang two beautiful songs for us.

This was a wonderful tour in every way. Every aspect of this tour was outstanding. I’ve told everyone in Birmingham that the experience was sheer perfection, and I meant it.

You have a confirmed new fan. Thanks to you and all the great folks at MCI for a wonderful experience in every way.

I would be honored to be a reference for anyone interested in taking a tour with you all. And of course, I’m looking forward to our next one with you!

Lester Seigel, Choir Director, Birmingham Southern College

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Kevin Ford, recently toured Austria and performed as part of the American Celebration of Music concert series. While on tour, the Chamber Singers performed in Vienna and Salzburg and had the unique privilege of dining with Dr. Jutta Unkart-Seifert, a philanthropist and accomplished opera singer, in her Viennese apartment.

The Chamber Singers performed with the Concert Choir of the University of Vienna in the famed Karlskirche to a full house and were able to sing in the beautiful Salzburg Dom, where Mozart performed many of his works for the first time.

The American Celebration of Music in Austria, organized in conjuction with the Mayors of Austria’s four major cities — Vienna, Salzburg, Graz and Innsbruck – continues to enjoy great success!

Birmingham-Southern student choir to tour Central Europe, further foster connection with Czech Republic

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The Birmingham-Southern College Concert Choir, conducted by Lester Seigel, who is the Joseph Hugh Thomas Professor of Music at BSC, will make its first European tour in more than 20 years. The 28 singers will perform in the Czech Republic and Austria May 30-June 3. The choir will include 22 BSC students and six singers who are BSC faculty or alumni.

The program will feature unusual works by Czech and Austrian composers and a selection of outstanding American works. Performances will include stops at St. Nicholas Church in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 30; Renaissance Town Hall in Pilsen, Czech Republic, on May 31; Karlskirche, St. Charles Church, in Vienna, Austria, on June 2; and the Palace Chapel, Esterhazy Palace, Eisenstadt, in Austria on June 3.

The tour is planned in part to further the sister city relationship between Pilsen and Birmingham. The college has established a relationship with the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Professor Jan Vicar of Prague, who taught at BSC as a visiting professor of music in 2006, assisted with arrangements.

In addition to these public performances, the choir will visit and perform in Terezin near Prague, which is the site of the infamous Nazi concentration camp. There the choir will perform works composed by Gideon Klein, an inmate of the camp, which were performed there in the 1940s. The group will also appear in Clam-Galas Palace in Prague, where the choir has been invited by the U.S. Ambassador to perform as part of the opening ceremonies for an art exhibit titled “Views of Chicago.”

The tour follows an appearance by BSC First Lady and violinist Karen Bentley Pollick in Pilsen May 6 alongside Louisiana State University Professor of Cello Dennis Parker. Their performance took place in the University Gallery at the University of West Bohemia on the occasion of the ceremonial opening of an art exhibit presenting artwork of BSC faculty and students.

The Homewood-Flossmoor Master Singers, under the direction of Mike Rugen, recently returned from a successful concert tour to northern Italy, Switzerland & Austria, performing as part of the American Celebration of Music in Austria concert series. The Master Singers were warmly received at each performance (six in all) by large, appreciative audiences. The Singers had the opportunity to sing in some beautiful spaces of historical (and musical) significance. They were able to perform in Milan’s Duomo, Salzburg’s Dom, Vienna’s St. Stephan’s Cathedral, and Vienna’s Karlskirche.

One of the highlights on the tour was being hosted for dinner in a true Viennese apartment, the home of Dr. Jutta Unkart-Seifert, an accomplished Viennese Opera Singer. Dr. Unkart-Seifert does this regularly for MCI groups visiting Vienna as a fundraiser for the many charities she is involved with throughout eastern Europe.

Music Celebrations is pleased to announce we are official partners with the “Brahms Vienna International Choir Competition,” which will take place next June 25 and 26, 2007 in the famed Brahms Saal of the “Musikverein.”

Please request more details here, or call us at 800.395.2036.

It is with earnest thanks and much gratitude that we write this letter to thank you for all you did to help make the Texas Youth Orchestra tour to Italy and Austria a success. We were impressed with your courteous professionalism and meticulous attention to detail. Please thank your wonderful staff for making this a great musical and educational experience for our TYO families. We know that the journey that our students experienced was made all the better because of their contribution.

We were pleased that the concerts were both well-attended and well-received. From Rome to Vienna (and many cities in between) MCI demonstrated the exceptional skills, talents, and most importantly, the musical savvy necessary to ensure that our students and chaperones had a fabulous musical, cultural, and historical experience.

Thank you again for all you did for the Texas Youth Orchestra’s European Summer Tour, and we look forward to working with you on our next TYO tour!

-Deborah Perkins, Dallas Satellite, Texas Youth Orchestra
-Desiree Overree, Houston Satellite, Texas Youth Orchestra

For my students this was the trip of a lifetime. Singing for a full house at Vienna’s Karlskirche was a musical high. For me, conducting the Mozart Vespers in Prague with members of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra was an artistic thrill. And for our singers and audience, our final performance of Krasa’s opera Brundibar at Terezin was an emotionally moving experience. My UTSA Choir will remember this trip for a long time to come.

-Dr. John Silantien, Director of Choral Activities, University of Texas at San Antonio

Thanks to you and to your entire team for providing us with a first-rate European concert tour this past summer. The orchestra, the venues, the tour guides, the hotels, meals, transportation were all excellent. Each of our people - across the board - had a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip.

Sincerely,
Dr. William Skoog, Director of Choral Activities, Bowling Green State University

I would just like to say that we could not have had a better trip in any respect. MCI was wonderful, the performance venues were superb, the food and hotels excellent, and our tour coordinator, Iris Fuchs, incredible. We were so happy with everything, that we are considering going to Lucerne in 2008!

-Laura Thompson, Assistant Professor, School of the Performing Arts, Louisiana Tech University

MCI organized two large Choral Festivals back to back in Salzburg and Vienna commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth. Rehearsals in Salzburg were held in the University Church, directly behind Mozart’s “birth house.”

During the rehearsals in Salzburg, the beautiful sounds of the Festival Choruses spilled out into the square and attracted the attention of many passersby. Several hundred would get a sneak peak of the Festival Performance as they listened to the rehearsals. Each Festival Performance, in both Salzburg and Vienna, were filled with standing room only audiences. Hundreds came to hear the beautiful music the Choruses performed under the direction of Dr. Eph Ehly and Professor Janos Czifira. MCI wants to thank the 23 choruses for their participation in this once in a lifetime event.