With the release of the iPhone 3GS and the instant access we have to information, you may rest assured that when you tour with MCI, we understand your need to connect. I found this article quite interesting and for those of us who have busy lives, a comfort. When you tour with MCI, we want you to know you can still speak with your family, and if you’re one of the touring directors, still email those you were discussing important matters with. Below is a well-informed article that will provide some clarity on how you can connect wirelessly in Europe.

“With my mantra being “pack light,” I used to be against packing electronics of any kind. But now, I bring my laptop, iPod, digital camera and mobile phone to Europe. With hotels retiring their fax machines in favor of email, mobile phones getting cheaper and easier to buy, and Wi-Fi hotspots popping up everywhere, it’s never been simpler to get connected.

If you tote your own laptop, you’ll find that many hotels and cafes offer wireless access — sometimes it’s free, other times, you’ll have to buy a drink or pay a fee — while some towns have Wi-Fi hotspots scattered around highly trafficked areas. Just pay for a password, park yourself on a bench in your favorite idyllic spot — overlooking a sandy beach, on a floodlit piazza or along a bustling people-watching boulevard — then log on and surf away.

It’s handy to travel with a mobile phone, whether you’re calling a hotel for directions or getting in touch with that lost travel buddy who missed the train. If you want to use a mobile phone in Europe, you have two choices: Take your own, or buy one once you’re there. ”
By: Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

Traveling international with MCI? Not only will you be experiencing an educational and life-changing musical tour but you’ll also be given the opportunity to indulge in a few cuisines that you may not find in the States. Not only is MCI dedicated to insuring a quality tour, but we’re also interested in the cultural experiences you’ll engage in. This article shows a glimpse of what you might find in some of these infamous countries.

By: Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

Eating and drinking in Europe is sightseeing for your taste buds. Every country has local specialties that are good, memorable, or both. Here are many of the fun experiences that stick in my mind after 30 years of travel. Seek out any of these on your next trip.

Germany’s wurst is the best anywhere, and kraut is not as “sauer” as the stuff you hate at home. Only a tourist puts the sausage in a bun like a hot dog. Munch alternately between the meat and the bread (”that’s why you have two hands”), and you’ll look like a local. Generally, the darker the wiener, the spicier it is.

The hallowed vineyards of Burgundy surround the French city of Beaune. Its venerable Marche aux Vins (wine market) welcomes serious wine buyers and tourists into a subterranean, candle-lit world, where fine wines sit seductively in bottles atop old oak kegs, just waiting to be tasted. Pick up a “tastevin” (shallow, stainless-steel tasting dish) and a shopping basket, descend into the dimly lit caverns, and work your way through the proud selection. Sampling a world of $100 bottles in the company of people who live for their fine wine can be both inspirational and intoxicating.

In Italy, sip wine with college students at an outdoor bar in Padua’s market square. Pour some fine olive oil on a dish, season with salt and pepper, rip a long strip from your bread, dip it, and bite. The last time I was there, a student explained I was making the “scarpette” — the little shoe. Soaking up the oil along with the conversation, we travelers become human “scarpette,” sopping up culture as we explore Europe.
Wherever you travel, it’s fun to meet people over food and drink. It’s part of understanding the culture of a country. Take the initiative not to just see your destination, but to experience it.

Read the FULL ARTICLE

The Lakeville North HS Chorale was extremely fortunate to tour Paris and Normandy during our spring break (which also happened to be Holy Week.) While I’m going to spare you all the details of the entire trip, I think you need to know about our time singing in Normandy- especially singing at the American Cemetery on Omaha Beach.

We had just enjoyed three fabulous days in Paris, and had traveled to Normandy on our fourth day. We woke up the morning of our fifth day and proceeded to the Peace Museum in Caen. This was a very moving tribute to the events of D-Day, and in particular, a movie that used actual footage to chronicle the minute by minute events leading up to the actual landing at Omaha Beach. This movie footage was also remarkable in that it showed both the American and the German troops going through their preparations (the Germans thinking it was basically another day like any other.)

After viewing this very intense documentary of the D-Day events, we proceeded to the American Cemetery. Now, you need to know that I had prepared the students about the overwhelming scene they were going to witness- row after row after row of white crosses- each representing a young American soldier that had died.

We arrived at the cemetery about thirty minutes before we were to participate in a wreath laying ceremony and then sing. During those thirty minutes, I saw many of our students hugging each other, comforting each other- the significance of the American soldiers’ sacrifices had all of a sudden become very real to them.

A few thoughts that became clear to our students included the fact that these crosses were markers of young men that had died- young men that were virtually the SAME AGE as my high school senior boys. The other fact that became clear was the incredible bravery that those young men had- when you sit on the cliffs at Omaha Beach and look down and see a wide open space of beach- and realize those young men had to cross that stretch of sand knowing that their chances of surviving were not going to be good.

The students walked down to the water and were amazed to see various debris from the landing still in the water. They looked up at the cliffs from the beach, and saw thick underbrush and remnants of a German cement bunker- and realized that was the view that the D-Day soldiers saw.

The wreath laying took place, and it was time to sing. I saw the heart-wrenching looks on my students’ faces, and knew this would be a moment I would never forget. We began to sing…”my country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty”…..and I was completely overcome with emotion, as were the singers. None of us will ever sing that familiar song again without having an immediate flashback to that moment of deep understanding of what our freedom really means.

After we finished our set of songs, the students were comforting each other, crying, hugging, talking, and simply looking out at the rows and rows and rows of white crosses.

If we ‘older’ folks ever start to wonder if our younger people really ‘get it’…in other words, do they understand how lucky they are to live where they do? Have no fear- these students that saw the numbers of young men- the same age as them! - that died for freedom….these students will never take their freedom for granted. And they will have a new understanding of what the word ‘patriotism’ means. I was so proud to see my Lakeville North students being so extremely moved by the American Cemetery experience. The future WILL be in good hands.

Paul Wigley
Lakeville North High School

By ELAINE SCIOLINO
Published: May 17, 2009

Visitors to France do not usually seek out evidence of Rome’s conquest of what was then called Gaul (now essentially modern-day France and Belgium). Indeed, the French do not dwell on their colonization by ancient Roman imperialists. Instead, they celebrate the “Gallic” part: the stories of proud, strong natives who thrived in that era. (The most popular contemporary portrayals of Roman rule in France are the comic book and film adventures of Astérix and Obélix, the Gallic village heroes who use stealth and cunning against the Roman invaders.)

Over the years, I have discovered traces of Roman civilization throughout the country, from Arras in the north to Dijon in the center and Fréjus in the south. My hunt for Roman Gaul has turned up treasures in the oddest places, including the middle of wheat fields, the foundations of churches and the basements of dusty provincial museums.

Then I asked Patrick Périn, the director of the Musée des Antiquités Nationales just west of Paris, which houses the country’s finest Gallo-Roman collection, the best way to explore Roman France. He said he had two words for me: “Go south.”

Full Article Here

MONIEUX, France - On a road trip through the south of France last summer, I hoped to find the place I’d come to love from reading Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence” and his other books. But I worried that the Provence of my dreams might be over-commercialized and overrun by tourists.

Happily I did find what I was looking for, but not always where I expected it. Yes, I went to the popular tourist jaunts — an amphitheater built by the Romans, a farmer’s market, Paul Cezanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence, and Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh painted. But what made Provence so enchanting for me was a triple sensory experience for the eyes, nose and palate — the scenery, scents and food — along with a detour off the beaten path to Monieux, a small town surrounded by lavender fields.

Provence is known for beautiful landscapes of cypress and olive trees amid verdant fields, with medieval towns perched seemingly precariously on hills. Lavender scents the air. And fruits, vegetables and olive oil are so fresh you’re convinced farmers picked or produced them that day. The Cavaillon melon, which looks like a softball-sized cantaloupe and costs around $3 each, is the most luscious melon I have ever tasted.

Full Article Here

Our trip to France was amazing!!!! We had the best trip Shakopee has taken. Everything pretty much went as planned, and then exceeded our expectations. We can not think of enough adjectives to explain the pleasure, joy and fun had by the entire group. We can tell you that we were thoroughly impressed with the tour managers’ abilities to meet all our needs. They were both outstanding. The best one’s we’ve had in four tours.

A huge thank you for all you did for Shakopee High School and our tour group. Your experience, expertise and fun will not soon be forgotten by anyone!!! We had a ton of fun!!

Mike Kovic, Choir Director
John Janke, Assistant Choir Director

By Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

(Tribune Media Services) — Smart budget travel isn’t just about saving money — it’s about maximizing your experience. Let me stoke your travel dreams by sharing some of my favorite European experiences from 30 years of crisscrossing the Continent.

In Dublin, be the only tourist among 50,000 cheering fans at a hurling match — that uniquely Irish game that’s as rough and tumble as airborne hockey (with no injury timeouts). Matches are held most Saturday or Sunday afternoons in summer at Dublin’sCroke Park Stadium. Choose a county to support, buy something colorful to wear or wave, scream yourself hoarse, and you’ll be a temporary local.

In Northern England, hike the best-surviving stretch of Hadrian’s Wall. Picture being a soldier posted there back in ancient Roman times to keep out the scary Scots. For a good, craggy three-mile walk along the wall, hike between Housesteads Roman Fort and Steel Rigg. Free maps are available at the Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre.

Full Article Here

We want to personally thank you and your staff at Music Celebrations for providing a most memorable trip to France for the orchestra and choir at Valley High School. Since our initial contact last winter, the staff at MCI, especially Shari Richards, has worked diligently and with the utmost professionalism during the long months of planning. Shari did an outstanding job of answering all inquiries and working with our parent coordinator. Every question was answered within one day and all of our concerns were addressed. We felt most comfortable with all of the arrangements that Shari, Dan Schwartz and others made on our behalf. Please share our gratitude with them. Without their help, this trip would not have been so successful.

We were also blessed to have outstanding tour managers. Mary Agnes, Patrick & Francoise were so easy to work with. Their combined knowledge and talents made everything easy. They were always very accessible, ready with suggestions, and eager to please all members of our group. This was my third tour with MCI and I must say that the tour managers on this trip were, by far, the very best! I thank you for taking care in selecting them for our group.

The venues for our performances were also remarkable. All of the students and parent chaperones were thrilled to perform in each location. The ambiance of each performing space added a special excitement to all of our performances. The students really played their best to fill such beautiful churches.

Please share our gratitude with all of the staff at MCI. This has truly been an experience that will live on in the hearts and minds of our students and chaperones.

Sincerely Yours,

Phil Peters, Orchestra Director
Linda Vanderpool, Choir Director

New policy to start April 4, will include Paris’ Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay

updated 2:14 p.m. MT, Tues., Jan. 13, 2009

NIMES, France - French President Nicolas Sarkozy says the country’s national museums and monuments will soon stop charging admission to visitors under 25.

Sarkozy says the measure will go into effect April 4. Sarkozy didn’t offer any other details about the measures.

French national museums include Paris’ Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay. Adult admission to the Louvre permanent collection is euro9 ($12).

Full article here

By Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

(Tribune Media Services) — Imagine that happy day around 1700 when the monk Dom Perignon, after much fiddling with the double fermentation of his grape juice, stumbled onto a bubbly delight. Having tasted the very first glass of champagne, he ran through the abbey shouting, “Brothers, come quickly … I’m drinking stars!”

The drink he invented ultimately put the region of Champagne in northeastern France on the map. And thanks to a new TGV bullet train that lets you connect nearly hourly from Paris (in 45 minutes), the region and its delightful capital Reims (pronounced “rance”) are more accessible than ever.

Full Article Here

The Chicago Master Singers tour to southern France is over and I think it topped the Poland tour. It was really fantastic. We had hundreds of French people at every concert!! It was amazing. We saw very little advertising but clearly Alison advertised our performances in every town since people arrived 30 min early every time to get a seat. Often it was standing room only. We were totally amazed. We have never experienced such turnouts anywhere in Europe and did not expect it in France for sure.

I need at least 10 hours face-to-face to tell you what was fantastic about this tour. Maries-Agnes, Patrick and Alison all deserve the highest imaginable marks! I hope we will have an opportunity soon to share many great things.

Alan Heatherington
Artistic Director

Everyone came away with wonderful experiences and memories. It is amazing to think that we sang in 10 venues in 12 days. All aspects of the trip were wonderful. The MCI team on this side, the tour managers and guides on the other side, all made this as successful as it was for us.

Having personally traveled with groups quite a bit, I found this to be a remarkable undertaking and was impressed with the organization and resources displayed by Music Celebrations International.

Becky Durham
Executive Director

Follow the Yuma Youth Choir throughout Europe as Darin Fenger, reporter with the Yuma Sun, is traveling with and chronicling their experiences.

Check their blog HERE to see photos and video footage.

FAIRHOPE, Alabama (AP) — Sculptor Stephen Spears is turning history into bronze with the first monument to the Navy’s D-Day heroes at Normandy and a statue of a World War I doughboy at the site of a landmark American victory in Cantigny, France.

His three bronze figures of a Navy captain and two sailors will be installed on a bluff overlooking Utah Beach to remember the naval service’s role in World War II’s pivotal amphibious invasion, adding a new visual element to the landscape at the historic site.

“All the monuments at Normandy are stone pillars, obelisks or plaques,” said retired Navy Capt. Greg Streeter of Jacksonville, Florida, chairman of the Navy D-Day Monument Project. “What we like most about our monument is that it is composed of representations of human figures that represent the officers and enlisted men that participated in the naval aspects of the Normandy invasion.”

Mike Conley, a spokesman for the American Battle Monuments Commission, which approved the Navy monument, said there are three human sculptures in the Normandy cemetery, but Spears’ work will be the first with human figures on Utah Beach.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Les Nouvelles De Paris — dollar be damned, visit now!

With the dollar under the kind of pressure that would make even the crispiest crème brûlée crumble, this may not seem like the ideal time for a Paris fling. But there’s so much to see and do in the City of Light—and so much that’s new—that it almost seems unfair to let the Parisians have all the fun.

Paris is still cheaper than many international cities like London, or even Moscow. In fact, the number of Americans traveling to Paris annually hasn’t dropped off so much as their spending habits. The French Government Tourist Office’s Patrice Doyon says “the depressed dollar” has slowed growth, but Americans are still visiting—they’re just spending less. “They might go to a three-star hotel instead of a four-star hotel,” he says. “Or do less shopping.” But why not go against the grain—after all, the French have made a national sport out of doing just that—and go all out?

Few cities are as well-positioned for an exercise in indulgence as Paris, which is for many still the standard of luxury and culture against which other cities are measured. That said, if you know where to go, you can get more for your inflated euro in the French capital than you might think. Because Parisian luxury is not merely a tale of flamboyance and creature comforts, as in Las Vegas or Dubai, but about quality and authenticity of experience.

Full Article Here

When Erik Torkells told his sister, Molly, he’d take her anywhere in the world as a 40th-birthday present, she picked Las Vegas. Clearly, there was work to be done.

by Erik Torkells

My sister and I spent our formative travel experiences together, most of which involved long family RV trips around the western U.S. But while I got bit by the travel bug, even becoming the lucky editor of this magazine, Molly never traveled much. She found plenty of excitement in getting married, moving across the country (and back), having two kids, and starting a teaching career.

For her 40th birthday, I thought it’d be fun to take her somewhere. After all, the only times she had left the U.S. were on a graduation cruise to Ensenada and a family drive to Vancouver. “Think about where you’d like to go!” I e-mailed her. “London? Iceland? Tokyo?” I was feeling like Brother of the Year. A few days later, she e-mailed her choice. I took a few deep breaths, and pointed out that while, yes, it was her birthday, and yes, I’d said she could choose the destination, the idea was to go somewhere she’d never been–basically, anywhere but Las Vegas.

Molly thought about it some more and realized she was intimidated by the unknown: different languages, passport bureaucracy, foreign currency, and so on. She said she needed to get over her fear, and that we could go to Europe. She’d let me decide exactly where.

I chose Amsterdam because it’s so easy to navigate, making it the perfect place to dip a toe in–besides, it’s where I went on my first trip to Europe. And then we’d go to Paris, because it’s Paris.

If you were to ask her about the experience now, a few months after the trip, she’d probably say that it was discombobulating being the student, not the teacher–let alone having her little brother be the one in charge. For six days, I was a cross between George Patton and Napoleon Bonaparte. We didn’t just see Amsterdam and Paris: We conquered them.

Any little brother worth his salt torments his sister long after he should’ve stopped. In that spirit, here, for her review, are my 11 lessons on how to explore a city.

Click here for full article

01 Jun 2009 - 30 Jun 2009 Date to be confirmed

Every other year the Paris Air Show displays all that is new in the aviation industry and looks back over some of the great historic achievements in this field. Open initially to the trade, the show welcomes the public during the closing weekend. Attractions include impressive flying displays and exhibitions showcasing the latest cutting-edge technology in the aircraft industry. The French Air Force contributes a large number of military aircraft to the flying displays and also put on a show of their own. Flight simulators, space launch vehicles, traffic control systems and anti-aircraft defence systems also feature among the exhibitions. The Air and Space Museum’s permanent collections are open throughout the show. This popular event attracts about 500,000 people each year.

How does this affect groups participating in the American Celebratin of Music in France in 2009? Because of the many thousands that attend the Air Show, hotel rates in and around Paris during the Show are increased, thus making it difficult to find hotel space within budget. Most of the MCI groups traveling during these weeks will be staying in hotels outside of the city OR they will be paying a premium on hotel rooms in Paris.

Although we arrived home separately, I know that everyone involved with this tour took with them once in a life time memories. From mass rehearsals in Lucerne with Eph Ehly, to the performance in the KKL, both with the mass choir and as an individual choir, our time in Lucerne was unique. Thanks to John Wiscombe and all of the Music Celebrations staff for their flawless execution of logistics, the vision to establish and produce what I think will be one of the premier festivals to attend, and their collective friendliness and professionalism. My singers and I didn’t feel like customers, but rather guests who were treated like professionals and colleagues.

Our time in Paris was packed with sight seeing and performances in venues that are not only acoustically, but also historically significant. Our tour manager, Patrick Fargier, went out of his way to make sure that we saw and did all we could do in the four days we were in Paris. He didn’t just do his job, but went out of his way to get to know the group and genuinely connected with them. Although I can’t afford to travel internationally every year, from my experience on this tour, the next time I plan to tour the world, it will be with MCI. To have the opportunity for my students to work with a world class conductor, sing in the same Cathedral where Napoleon was crowned, stand on top of the Eiffel Tower, and make music and friends with other singers has been priceless. The songs that we performed on this tour now hold memories that go way beyond the way they sounded, and hold a place in time that will not be forgotten by anyone who was there. One of my singers said the entire tour experience was “more than she expected and went way beyond what she could have hoped for.”

Thanks again,

Bruce C. Lengacher
Director of Choral Activities
Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA

Singing in Notre Dame

The tour to France was a great success. I’m not sure I can express how thrilled we were with our tour managers. They definitely bonded with our group and we certainly bonded with them. I will write two letters about each of them to further explain how pleased we were!

The concerts were wonderful. The venues were breathtaking and the audiences were warm and very receptive. It was absolutely thrilling to sing a Mass at Mont-St-Michel, and the recital at Notre Dame was unbelievable! Hundreds and hundreds of folks listened to us here. It was the thrill of a lifetime!

Omaha Beach was the highlight of our trip. It stopped raining just before we sang the National Anthem as they raised our flag at the Memorial. One of our tour managers sang the French National anthem - we were all in tears!!! WONDERFUL. The wreath laying ceremony, done by several Vets in our choir, was perfect!

Can’t wait until the next trip! I am very, very pleased with Music Celebrations and will continue to book with you for all future trips!!

Kay Randolph
Mountain View Presbyterian Church Choir
Scottsdale, AZ

We just returned from our tour to Switzerland and France, and I just wanted you to know that we had a wonderful experience. This is our second tour with MCI, and I am increasingly impressed with the company. The staff members at MCI are amazing. You are fortunate to have these people on staff; I’m convinced that people make the difference in the travel business! Your personnel are very strong both in the U.S. and in Europe, and a great strength of your company.

I thought that your suggestions for the general itinerary were right on target, and that the venues were perfect. We are grateful for the opportunity to sing during a Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral; it will be a precious, vivid memory for years to come. It will be hard to go back to our regular rehearsal room!

So many details come together to make a tour as special as this one. I am amazed that MCI has such quality in every aspect of them. You have a good thing going!

-Dr. Gayle Walker, Director of Choral Activities at Otterbein College

The Children’s Chorus of San Antonio recently returned from touring Paris and England. In Paris, the Chorus performed in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and La Madeleine where they enjoyed receptive audiences of 200 – 300 at each venue. In the UK, they visited Canterbury, London, and York, where they participated in a festival with Doreen Rao.

Unforgettable concert venues, great food, wonderful accommodations, schedules that ran so smoothly - our summer tour to France and England was all that and more! Thank you for coordinating our 2006 Tour and for the many details MCI handled for our trip. We appreciate all that you did on our behalf. Everything that MCI arranged more than met our expectations. It was an amazing experience all the way around; thank you so much.

Sincerely,
Marguerite McCormick, Artistic Director, Children’s Chorus of San Antonio

The W.T. Woodson High School Choirs toured Austria, Switzerland, and France this past summer and performed in Vienna’s Karlskirche, Salzburg’s Dom, Lucerne’s St. Leodegar, and Paris’ Cathedral of Notre-Dame. The following is a brief note from Michael regarding the choirs’ performance in Notre-Dame.

I can’t begin to find the words to express how overwhelming singing at Notre Dame was. It was great in 1999…but this experience went way beyond. In 1999, after the mass, we simply left the altar and went back to the room to change. This time, they had us follow the altar boys down the main aisle of the cathedral and then across the back, and back up the side and then into the sacristy. That was the first time the kids were able to see just how many people were present…it was over 1000. The congregants stood up for them and applauded. Needless to say, I was extremely proud and pretty emotional throughout that experience.

Back in the sacristy, the celebrant spoke to the kids and me and thanked us for participating in the mass. It really was a wonderful experience. Equally wonderful was singing at the retirement/nursing home the next day. It was a very heart-warming experience for all of us. I was very pleased with each of their performances.

-Michael Ehrlich, W.T. Woodson High School, Virginia

The following are notes and pictures from Robert Bullwinkel, the choir director at Sunnyside High School in Fresno, CA. The Sunnyside High School Chorus recently returned from a European concert tour with MCI.

As the jet lag slowly fades, the images and memories of the Sunnyside High School chamber choir’s Sister City Tour become clear. Suffice it to say that the tour was everything we hoped it would be and more. Since it is impossible to recount everything,let me give you a few snapshots of the many memorable moments.

Paris
–a sunset cruise down the Seine as the stars came out and the lights of the Eiffel tower came on, then stopping on the Pont Neuf to see the Tower glowing against the deep azure sky with the moon shining above and the whole scene reflected in the water.
–the Sunday morning farmer’s market on the Rue Moufftard, sipping cafe au lait and watching the Parisians do their shopping.
–singing through our tears on the altar at Notre Dame as we realized that we had really made it there.
–our “live” broadcast back home to Fresno’s Finest

Muenster
–our first rehearsal with the choir from the Gymnasium Paulinem school (founded in the year 797), seeing the walls between the students break down, and then, after lunch together in the German students’ homes, seeing all of the new “best friends for life”.
–bringing down the house that night at the Festaal of the Rathaus in an awesome performance with the Paulinem choir. In the words of the Mayor’s office, “We have many fine choirs in Muenster, but we have never seen anything like this! The Festaal has never rocked like this before!!”
–seeing our bright and shining faces all over the morning papers the next day:)
–our performance in St. Paul’s cathedral and hearing the shimmering chords echo throughout the space
–our final performance in Muenster at St. Petronilla church. Word about the choir’s previous performances had gotten around and the church was packed to the rafters. We have never heard such applause nor seen multiple standing ovations that lasted for so long. I think that if we had more songs to sing we would be there singing still!

Switzerland
–a beautiful, sunny drive through the Alps and the view of the lakes at Interlaken surrounded by the snowcapped peaks
–two words: Swiss Chocolate

Riva del Garda
–being selected to sing in the opening concert of the International Choir Festival and giving the crowd some real American gospel music and having the audience of 48 choirs from 26 different countries clap along with us.
–gelato, gelato, gelato
–taking paddle boats out onto Lake Garda and seeing the foothills of the Alps wrapped around the beautiful Italian harbor.
–realizing that we were singing in a competition for huge college choirs and then giving our best performance anyway and holding our own with the older, bigger choirs.
(For the record, this was the first time in the eighteen year history of the event that an American high school choir entered into the competition. We were placed in category G3 for choirs aged 16-25. All of the other choirs, except one, were from colleges around the world. Coincidentally, there was one other American school entered in the category–Piedmont High School from the Bay Area with the highest public school API score in California for their enrollment. Sunnyside beat them handily. The G3 category was won by a private college choir from Singapore who went on to win the entire festival.)

Verona
–singing in the Baptistery of the 12th century Cathedral at a special service written just for our choir called “The rebirth of hope”. The program was sponsored by the city of Verona and the church with a pre-service dinner provided by the ladies of the church.
–performing “Only in America” on the steps of the City Hall which stands next to a Roman Arena built in the first century BC. Drawing a big crowd of enthusiastic listeners including a group of French teenagers who became part of the show and our biggest fans of the tour!
–strolling the streets in the beautiful spring weather and feeling very Italian.

The usual tour stuff…..
–lost luggage! Our sound gear finally joined us in Muenster, three days after we arrived.
–the neverending card games
–playing pool at the youth hostel
–getting sick and passing it around
–more walking than we thought humanly possible
–lost glasses recovered from a truck stop as we passed back through a week later
–everyone applauding as our Italian driver parallel parks the 50′ bus in a spot seemingly too small for a VW
–getting homesick and needing to talk to mom:)
–late nights and early mornings
–flirting with other teens and finding that puppy love has no language barrier
–Mr. de Jong grossing everyone out by eating horsemeat and mulemeat in Verona.
–fun and games with food (Becky, Romanita, Sandy and Marya!)
–shopping, shopping, shopping
–steppng around a corner and seeing yet another postcard view of an ancient city
–surly Sicilian waiters
–being kissed on both cheeks!
–hours spent on the bus
–getting in trouble for being late
–hauling our bags a mile straight uphill to the youth hostel in Verona
–travelling for nearly 24 hours straight to get home
–sending the police out to search for one of our missing chaperones
–cheering when we got back to the USA and realized how much we love our home.

You can check out more pictures and student blogs here.

The Musée de l’Orangerie

By Doreen Carvajal, CNN Budget Travel

The most long-awaited debut is the Musée de l’Orangerie, which opens on May 17 after an unexpectedly drawn-out six-year reconstruction. An 1852 former orange-tree greenhouse in a corner of the Tuileries garden, l’Orangerie was transformed into a museum in 1927 to house Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies,” giant panels inspired by his pond in Giverny. But the oval gallery where the paintings lived became dark and claustrophobic when a new exhibition floor that covered existing skylights was added in 1960.

Construction was well under way when the discovery of a 17th-century limestone wall under the museum caused a delay; new permits had to be obtained and plans were altered. Now, the upper floor has been removed, letting in natural light, and the entry hall has been remodeled to allow direct access to the marquee art. Additionally, builders created a subterranean gallery and installed air-conditioning to protect the collection, which also includes works by Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso and Renoir.

Less famous — but no less worthy — are the sister palaces, the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, 19th-century jewels built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. Each underwent serious renovations, and reopened late last year. The Petit Palais, a flamboyant, domed confection of gilded wrought iron and Italian mosaics, is home to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which has permanent works by Delacroix and Courbet.

An $86 million makeover restored the palace’s stone exterior to its original wedding-cake whiteness; vivid blue ceiling panels representing themes of Beauty, Thought, Mysticism and Matter were touched up. In the half-moon garden courtyard, gardeners replanted species of palm trees that had been there in the early 20th century.

Across the street, a four-year face-lift was the first stage of a $120 million total renovation at the Grand Palais. It bolstered the foundation and the structural safety of the glass-and-steel exhibition hall. (The building had been closed since 1993 after a metal bolt from the ceiling plunged 115 feet into a display case.) The showpiece is an art nouveau cupola framed by 9,370 tons of green steel. The Grand Palais also has temporary exhibits; a collection of contemporary French art will remain on display through July.

Workmen recently finished a big job at the Aquarium du Trocadéro, which was closed for more than two decades. The aquarium, on a hill facing the Eiffel Tower, opened in April with over 10,000 fish, three cinemas, and an underground glass tunnel that is supposed to simulate an undersea swim.

One other noteworthy museum is in a burst of final preparations. The Musée du Quai Branly is slated to open June 23. The building, designed by Jean Nouvel, is intended to resemble a giant footbridge; what looks from afar like a long elevated strip is surrounded by a garden with 178 types of trees, including sugar maples, cherry trees and magnolias. The museum — which assumed the collection of the Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie — will be the only one in Paris dedicated to ethnography and indigenous peoples.

If it feels like you’ll need to add night shifts to squeeze in all the new museums, no worries: The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, in the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo, now lets guests wander around until 10 p.m. on Wednesdays. As part of a two-and-a-half-year renovation completed in February, exhibition space was added in the basement, and a special “black room” was built to screen art videos. Work was also done to Raoul Dufy’s 1937 “La Fée Électricité,” an epic celebration of electricity. The 6,450-foot oil mural, composed of 250 wood panels, had its asbestos backing stripped off, and is mounted on curved walls and illuminated from the floor, carrying out the artist’s original vision.

In 1998, the government bought a Frank Gehry-designed building formerly home to the American Center of Paris. It took six years and $41 million, but in September, the Cinémathèque Française opened within. The Cinémathèque is a shrine to cinema, with daily screenings of classics and a collection of antique film cameras and memorabilia — among them a dress Vivien Leigh wore in “Gone With the Wind.”…

The H-F Symphony Orchestra & Chorus recently returned from a successful concert tour to Spain and France as part of the American Celebration of Music in Europe concert series festival. The Orchestra and Chorus arrived in Barcelona, Spain, where they rehearsed and enjoyed their first concert, and then moved into France, visiting the cities of Carcassonne, Avignon, and finishing in Nice, performing in each city. Two of the many highlights were the performances in the Cathedral of St. Michel in Carcassonne, where they enjoyed an enthusiastic audience that “would not let them go” until they performed two encore pieces following the scheduled program, and the second highlight worth mentioning was the concert in Centre Cultural ‘Le Forum’ in Les Angles (a suburb of Avignon) where they enjoyed another receptive audience of an estimated 450 people and were afterwards treated to a full dinner & dessert and were given gifts relating to their community.