This past month’s issue of National Geographic Magazine was fully dedicated to China, the emerging industrial powerhouse. This issue has several fascinating featured articles to help educate the world on current events in China and offers insights into its many cultures.

Several of our clients who are considering touring to China with their music ensembles have commented on these articles and how they have enforced and increased their interest in touring China.

I believe that Music Celebrations International is truly a full service company that genuinely cares about their clients….that’s rare these days! I sincerely appreciate your generosity!

I also want you to know what a pleasure it has been for me to work with Carol & Edmundo to make all these tour arrangements. They are spectacular at what they do! I have never taken the lead on an international tour, so I was somewhat insecure going into this process. Carol & Edmundo were always there to answer my questions and lead me to success. For that, I am very appreciative.

I manage all five of the Gustavus touring ensembles and will definitely make MCI my first choice when planning future international tours!

Lisa Westphal
Manager of Music Tours
Gustavus Adolphus College

The Gustavus Adolphus Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Warren Friesen, embarked today (1/18/08) on their 14 day tour to China, visiting and performing in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan, and Guilin as part of the American Celebration of Music in China concert series.

The Symphony has set up a blog to chronicle their adventures in Asia. Follow along HERE.

By Jim Carnes

It’s hard to resist the smiling, clean-scrubbed faces and the contagious enthusiasm of the young hoofers, hooters and, well, all-round entertainers who are Galena Street East.

Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has fallen under their spell.

Galena Street East was founded in Sacramento by Richard and Jeri Clinger in 1972 to provide training and performance opportunities to developing young artists in the community. Galena Street also provides music scholarships for some members, and each year, the group’s touring company represents Sacramento on a people-to-people goodwill performing tour.

These musical “ambassadors,” as they are called, will mark their 36th year with performances this week at the governor’s tree-lighting ceremony Tuesday at the Capitol and with “Light the December Nights,” the latest of the group’s Holiday Tapestry shows, Friday and Saturday at the Hiram Johnson High School Theater.

Come summer, Galena Street East’s group of older performers will tour China as participants in a pre-Olympics music festival, American Celebration of Music 2008. They will perform in Beijing, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao, official venue sites of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics – as well as at the Great Wall.

Notifying the group of its acceptance as California representatives in the tour, Music Celebrations International president John P. Wiscombe cited the group’s “excellent recommendations” and “past achievements” in performance and promised the group a “rewarding and memorable experience both educationally and musically.”

Gov. Schwarzenegger also congratulated the group, saying, “I am especially proud that one of my favorite performing groups will be delighting international audiences.”

Full article here

The Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra toured and performed throughout China in the 2007 American Celebration of Music in China concert series put on by Music Celebrations International. Fran Richman, executive director, reported

“the trip was absolutely wonderful—and the on-the-ground people were truly fabulous!”

The f0llowing are excerpts from MYSO’s tour blog:

What an amazing day! We started with the Great Wall—where we heard over and over “I can’t believe I’m actually here!” A great performance with a wonderfully international audience and with the Great Wall visible both behind AND in front of the orchestra, then a great climb (ah, youth!), a great visit to the cloisonné factory, with a great lunch to boot, and then a performance by a troupe of great Chinese acrobats./blockquote>

Xi’an rolled out the red carpet for MYSO with a Royal Welcome Ceremony in front of the main gate that leads into the ancient city–modern day Xi’an now extends well beyond the boundaries of the old city walls. City officials presented Fran Richman, Margery Deutsch, Carter Simmons, and Susan Wernecke with a key to the Xi’an city gate. Following the presentation, MYSO students were welcomed into the gated city by musicians and dancers, and then lead into another part of the city for more music and dance!

After a short rest at the hotel, we had a rehearsal at the Xi’an Grand Hotel Theater (a change of venue from your tourbooks–a lovely hall!). After dinner, we performed our final concert in China. And what a concert it was!! A full house, an extremely appreciative audience, and a strong performance by the orchestra.

Anonymous: “Wow! What an amazing final concert! The audience actually wanted us to play encores. They loved us! I got three autographs–wait–I mean I signed three autographs. The constant snapping of cameras was like paparazzi! I now have enough happiness to last three years at least!”

To view the full tour blog, click here

I heard this story on PRI’s “The World” last week. It provides good insight to grassroots movements in China toward greater awareness and appreciation of Western classical music, highlighted by the Beijing International Music Festival.

http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/13255

BEIJING, China (AP) — If you’re planning a trip to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, but you fear you may tire of Olympic fever and flag-waving throngs, don’t despair. Beijing has rich offerings when it comes to art, music, groovy boutiques and quiet temples.

Most of the capital city’s guided tours are about awe and acquisition. Visitors are stunned into submission by the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, then quickly shuttled to buying sprees at the Pearl Market or Silk Street.

The humbling grandeur of those imperial masterpieces is offset by the giddy empowerment of buying quality knockoffs of brands like Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Tiffany for a fraction of the usual cost. Few can resist the temptation. It is usually followed by a belly-busting Peking duck feast.

Click here for the rest of the story.

By Kati Schardl
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

When the Tallahassee Community Chorus journeyed to Beijing in July to perform at the International Choral Festival, it was a family affair for featured soloist Marcia Porter - in more ways than one.

“I think of the people in the chorus as my singing family,” said Porter, an FSU voice professor. “But if you’re going to be gone for that length of time (nearly two weeks), you also want to have your biological family with you.”

Especially if one of those family members is a bright-eyed, good-natured 18-month-old toddler.

Porter brought her son, Joshua, on the China trip, along with husband Torrio Osborne and mother Edwina Porter.

Porter’s coterie of relations was one of a dozen family units that made the trip. Among the 113-person contingent from Tallahassee, several chorus members brought siblings, cousins and aunts. Sons and daughters asked moms and dads to come along, and wives wanted husbands by their side.

Chorus director André Thomas, a seasoned world traveler, brought wife Portia and son Jordan, 25, on the trip. It was the first time Thomas’ wife and son, an architectural engineer in Wichita, Kan., had traveled to Asia, and the first time Thomas himself had visited mainland China (he had previously spent a month in Taiwan conducting choral groups).

“It was great having (Jordan) around to explain the new type of buildings (the group saw being built in China) and their construction,” Thomas said in an e-mail from Cleveland, where he was helping his daughter move into a new apartment.

“It is not often that my family can accompany me when I am conducting, and it was a delight!

“This was a wonderful trip!”

Click here for full article

With the Olympics approaching, China is re-creating its once grim capital on an awesome scale.

By Melinda Liu
Newsweek International

Aug. 13, 2007 issue - The transformation of Beijing for the 2008 Olympics is emerging as perhaps the most ambitious remake of any major world capital in history, short of the postwar reconstructions. The silhouettes of the spectacular new stadium and swimming center are already familiar worldwide, but they are set in a rebuilt urban core that startles return visitors. Lush new green spaces, swirling expressways, shopping arcades roofed with giant LED screens, a new downtown financial center plus a vastly expanded public trans-port system have all rapidly appeared. To some, the Olympic-driven metamorphosis evokes the remaking of Paris by Baron Haussmann between 1865 and 1887—a complete redesign of the city center, including the creation of the grand boulevards for which Paris is famous today.

Click here for full article

The Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra is currently touring in China and blogging.

Check it out!

Once we hit the ground in China we had a most wonderful and educational experience. Top notch from the minute we landed!

Our tour managers were first class! I feel they were the key to the great success of this trip. From the moment we landed on the ground they had everything organized and well prepared. They were friendly and helpful and willing to make any adjustments I wanted. They were absolutely the most wonderful group of tour managers I have ever had. We had two instruments damaged and within hours they had taken them and had them fixed, which was no small feat because we were there during holiday and most stores were closed. They were consistently willing to go above and beyond what was expected of them.

The performance experiences were great. The audience at Beijing’s Central Conservatory was extremely supportive and kind. The joint concert with the Tianjin University Peiyang Band was held in a great venue with a good audience. Our concert at the University of Architecture & Technology was pretty much a full house and it was a great deal of fun!

All the hotels were terrific! Excellent choices! The meals were excellent and plentiful. Students were very willing to explore the food and the use of chopsticks. They probably could have used a burger along the way, but the food was plentiful and again everyone found something to their liking.

This was a great experience.

Dr. Robert Spradling
Western Michigan University Symphonic Band

I appreciate the efforts of all involved in the Beijing International Choral Festival. John (Music Celebrations President) has great vision and a willingness to explore the unknown that was inspiring, and Bill has a gentle confidence and patience that is comforting. It was a great experience for me and for my students. I find myself missing the Chinese people and missing the planning that occurred during the months leading to the festival.

Some of the highlights included spending time with the Chinese tour escorts—Tony, Nancy, and Jeanie were delightful and helpful and informative. They gave a wonderful face to the country and it was a pleasure to spend time with them. It was also exciting to hear students broadening their view of life. The Beijing University Choir was exceptional and seeing them perform in beautiful costumes was a high point of the trip.

In addition to the Festival performance and our individual performances, holding a clinic for the All-China Chorus Association was a delightful experience. The audience (Chinese choral directors) was engaging and willing to learn.

I have recommended Music Celebrations to several of my colleagues around the country and will continue to do so.

Dr. Kevin Fenton
Florida State University Singers

This tour was above our greatest expectations. The reception of the Chinese people was warm, enthusiastic and friendly.

Sometimes we felt that there were more people working for us than we had on the trip, and that is a good thing! The MCI staff in Tempe, AZ and in China worked well together to make sure our tour was a success. The efforts of your Chinese staff were instrumental to the success of our tour. These are great human beings whose goal was our satisfaction at all times. We can’t say enough about their efforts in our behalf!!

The highlights were visiting and performing ON the Great Wall and our first concert at the Central Conservatory in Beijing where the students responded so positively to the jazz we played. We especially enjoyed the interaction with the students in both the China Youth Symphony Orchestra and Beijing Institute of Technology Symphonic Band. These shared concerts were excellent experiences. The venues were superior and the audiences were large and enthusiastic.

The meals on the tour were much superior to any tour we have taken to this point. It is interesting to note that although the lunches and dinners were “Chinese”, there was a great variety.

You can be assured that we will be an extremely positive reference for Music Celebrations!

Gerald & Dawn Tedesco
Sussex County Youth Orchestra

Sparta - The Sussex County Youth Orchestra, known as New Jersey’s Ambassadors of Music when on tour, will present its Bon Voyage Concert on Sunday, June 24, at 3 p.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on Woodport Road.

The youth orchestra will be a part of the American Celebration of Music in China performing with the China Youth Symphony Orchestra in the concert hall of the Central Conservatory Music School and at the concert hall of the National Library in Beijing. The orchestra will take a domestic flight to the ancient city of Xi’an and perform a concert at the Xi’an Conservatory of Music. In addition, they will perform at the Great Wall of China.

We’d like to take a moment to thank all of the choirs that will be participating in the Beijing International Choral Festival next month, as part of the All-China National Choral Directors Association Conference.

By Sharon Kant-Rauch
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Growing up in Kansas during the 1960s, Andre Thomas didn’t like singing spirituals. As the only black student at his high school of 2,000, he felt the slave dialect was just a way for white people to poke fun at black people.

But his attitude changed when he got to college. Actor and musician Jester Hairston told him, among other things, that the reason “th” was often written as a “d” was because most African languages didn’t include the “th” sound.

Thomas did a complete turnaround. Today the Owen F. Sellers Professor of Music at Florida State University has arranged more than 20 spirituals for choral groups and has written a new book called “Way Over in Beulah Lan’: Understanding and Performing the Negro Spiritual.”

He’ll be signing copies from 2 to 5 p.m. today at Beethoven & Company on Timberlane Road.

“No matter where I go,” said Thomas, who has conducted all over the world and plans to lead the Tallahassee Community Chorus in China in a few weeks, “people want to hear these spirituals.”

Click here for the rest of the article.

The Sacramento Ballet leaves tomorrow for their China tour, performing in Shanghai and Beijing. While on tour, the Ballet will be updating a travel blog, complete with photos and commentary. Check back often to experience China with the Sacramento Ballet!

The Barron Collier High School Band was officially welcomed to the city of Xi’an on Tuesday, April 3, in a ceremony last performed when President Bill Clinton visited nearly a decade ago. The ceremony included local dignitaries and performers in traditional clothing.

Read more about it here.

Excellent Tour!!! What an educational experience for us all. We saw and learned so much in the 10 days we were there. We all left with a new and greater appreciation for Chinese culture.

Our interaction and dinners with the students and choir members from the colleges (Tianjin University & Renmin University) were fantastic. The opportunity for my students to talk with the Chinese students was priceless. They really interacted with them in a way that surprised me. I heard laughter coming from all tables and saw some exchanging email addresses.

Sheldon Poon [MCI’s Concert Organizer] is a jewel of a person! Steady, always on the look out for possible problems, and when one occurs, he has it figured out in seconds. He was very gracious with me and the students. We fell in love with our Chinese tour managers. They worked so hard to make our experience one we would never forget, and they never showed any anxiety when they were asked the same questions over and over. They made sure everyone was where they were suppose to be on time, and really took charge and I felt that all I had to do was conduct the music.

I was very pleased with the concerts. Performing with local university choirs inspired my students to reach higher. A priceless moment was when we sang “And the Glory of the Lord” from Messiah together at the end of the concert. In the Xi’an Conservatory of Music, we had an amazing concert. Packed house and very enthusiastic audience. At all venues the handbell choir stole the show. They had never heard bells play before and listened with great attention.

I was blown away by the entire experience. The banners greeting us everywhere we went, the cultural programs we attended, the sightseeing - all was excellent. If I had to point to one highlight, it would be the concerts. These opportunities allowed my students to achieve a level of musicianship that I always knew was possible, but they did not believe. They bonded with each other in a way they never did here on campus. They were so proud of their achievement. This tour allowed a group of mixed talented students who on their own are not extraordinary musicians perform at a level that any college choir director would be proud of.

-Dr. Marion Smith
Eckerd Concert Choir and Eckerd Ringers

Naples Daily News

Bai bai, Naples. Ni hao, Beijing.

Barron Collier High School Band students and their chaperones used those phrases — meaning hello and goodbye in Mandarin — this morning, as almost 200 students and chaperones left Naples for their spring break trip to China.

The students are participating in the 2007 American Celebration of Music in China. During the trip, they will perform at the Great Wall of China and at a concert in the Renmin Theater in Xi’an as part of the American Celebration of Music.

Kelly Parker, the Barron Collier High School band director, said the band takes an international trip every four years and China seemed like the perfect place.

“We wanted to do something really on the cutting edge,” she said. “Travel is the best educational tool we have. It is great that they are going to be able to experience this cultural exchange.”

Shared American/Chinese Choir Concert in Shenzhen

The Wayland Baptist University International Choir recently returned from touring and performing in China as part of the American Celebration of Music in China concert series. The following is a report given by Dr. Scott Herrington, the director:

My general feedback is that your MCI associates in Hong Kong and China did an exemplary job of introducing us to their country. It certainly fulfilled the goals I had for the tour. I appreciated the order and flexibility of the tour. It was well-planned and executed by personnel that genuinely seemed to care for the well-being of our students. In return, our students grew to appreciate and personally care for them.

I cannot give enough accolades to your Chinese staff. They could not have been better tour managers. They have a unique gift of making you feel that your group certainly must be the best group with which they have ever worked. They related well with the students and bent over backwards to make sure we were comfortable and to serve our needs both individually and as a group. They were obviously proud to show us their country, but seemed equally proud to be associated and seen with our group.

One of the outstanding parts of our trip was the opportunity to interact with students over a meal and otherwise. This was great. We had a couple of wonderful experiences with the Shenzhen students. The welcome they gave us was outstanding. As we drove up to the university, there were many, many students waiting to greet us with a welcome banner and numerous posters announcing the joint concert. We then had opportunity to eat with the students, their director, and accompanist. Again, everyone mingled and visited over the meal.

Our concerts were definitely highlights of the tour. Our concert at Kowloon International Baptist Church was a wonderful experience in every way. The auditorium was packed! The acoustics were wonderful, a very nice venue in which to perform. The audience was very enthusiastic. Our students were made to feel like “rock stars” following the concert. The college students in the church basically mobbed our students for pictures and conversation. We were received in much the same way at our shared concert at Shenzhen University, which was also a packed house.

I will be happy to serve as a reference for anybody that is considering a tour to China.

Wayland Baptist University International Choir
Dr. John Scott Herrington - Director of Choral Studies

Click here to read and see the group’s activities today

by Lem Thornton on March 24

Our trip to China is almost over - which is sad. I’ve had a really amazing experience and have been warmly welcomed more times than I can actually count.

I don’t think words can really express how much I and the rest of this group has enjoyed this trip. We’ve truly been blessed to have had this opportunity. Zai Jian (Goodbye) Beijing, Xi’an, Brian, Judy and Jennifer.