Western Reserve Academy Austria and Italy Performance Tour 2014: 2012

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Western Reserve Academy Europe travelers are homeward bound

We wish everyone a safe journey home and thank you all for following the blog. We hope that some of the travelers will share their stories and pictures here in the days and weeks to come. Danke und Wiedersehen from Sandra in Germany, Adios from Katia and Stefania in Spain and Portugal and All the best from our US based team as well.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Pictures from the WRA Farewell Dinner in Lisbon

Happy Birthday, dear Mr. Wiles, happy birthday to you!

Farewell to Lisbon: Western Reserve Academy impressions from Portugal

WRA group is now returning on United Airlines flights

Dear Parents, due to the merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines, the flight schedule has been affected and the WRA group is now returning on the following UA flights. We hope, this makes it easier for you once they return.

Thursday, March 22, 2012 United Airlines , UA 65 leaves Lisbon (LIS) at 9:15 am

arrives in Newark (EWR) at 1:32 pm. Here the group will clear immigration and customs.

Thursday, March 22, 2012 United Airlines, UA 51 leaves Newark (EWR) at 4:38 pm arrives in Cleveland (CLE) at 6:20 pm. The arrival airport is Cleveland-Hopkings International airport.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

First picture from finale concert: WRA sings at the Mirror Hall of Foz Palace in Lisbon

What a magical venue for the last formal concert of the 2012 Western Reserve Academy Choir and Ensemble Performance tour to Spain and Portugal: Under the direction of Mrs. Margaret Karam and Mr. Edward Wiles, the finale concert took place at the beautiful Mirror Hall of Palacio Foz in Lisbon on Tuesday, March 20. Incantato Tour Manager Stefania sent the above feature photo from her iphone.

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

WRA student report: "We leave Spain and Portugal with a bang"

Hola,

Today we crossed the Spain border and were welcomed to sunny Portugal. This evening we were able to perform at the Palaceo Fos in downtown Lisbon. This was our final concert stop and I feel it was our best concert yet! As we wind down our tour, We leave Spain and Portugal with a bang.
Best Regards,
Jonathan Depew

WRA student report: "Our best performance yet! We are loving Portugal!"

Hola!

Today we arrived in Portugal and saw a beautiful view of the ocean and the river! It was beautiful! We walked around a main square in Portugal and saw the square where the king was killed! Portugal is beautiful with the stone sidewalks and beautiful old buildings. The style of the city is 1800's due to an earthquake that occured and ruined the old city. We had a wonderful performance at a palace, a small crowd but our best performance yet! We now currently are eating at a great restaurant on a beautiful park, we are loving Portugal!

Muchos Gracias!
Eleanor Mc Brier

Western Reserve Academy at Foz Palace in Lisbon

WRA student report: "It was a lot of fun to meet new friends"

Caroline Depew comments on the 2012 WRA Performance Tour: "The school exchange with the Conservatory was very fun! We walked into the room and everyone thought that we were rockstars. We had a tour of the School and on it we got to meet The younger kids who we found out knew the Same song as us, siahumba! Then, we had a snack break and got to meet the kids and learn how to dance by one of the teachers! The concert also went really well and it was a lot of fun to meet some new friends!"

Monday, March 19, 2012

WRA student report: "Our trip keeps on getting better and better"

Emma Leonard comments live from Spain and the 2012 Western Reserve Academy Performance Tour: "From singing with Monks to talking with street artists, our trip keeps on getting better and better! Today we sang in the monastery in Rabida where the cross in the chapel came from and then we went to a medieval festival downtown. Everyone dressed in costumes and little kids were fighting with wooden swords. After that we spent free time in Seville and ended the day with delicious food at a tapas restaurant."

New pictures added to the WRA-Iphone-Album

WRA student report: "An amazing experience"

Chloe Cusimano sums up Monday, March 19, 2012 from Spain: "Today the group took a beautiful scenic ride From Sevilla to Huelva. The view of the sunset From The beach in huelva was outstanding. Afterwards we all had a delicious dinner at our hotel. The trip so far has been an amazing experience."

Home away from home: WRA arrived at AC Hotel Nuevo Portil Golf near Huelva

Now to mix it up even further, the hotel for the Western Reserve Academy travelers for Monday, March 19 near the town of Huelva offers the singers, musicians, their family and friends the opportunity to experience a very modern four star hotel that is also part of the Marriott brand family. The AC Hotel Nuevo Portil Golf is designed in neo-colonial style and situated on a golf course and surrounded by a Pine Wood. The idyllic Nuevo Portil beach, considered one of the most beautiful of the Huelva coast is a mere 150 meters away and while it may be still to cold to go for a full swim in March, we encourage you to dip at least your tows in the water. The guest rooms are decorated in a modern-functional style and feature air-condition, en-suite bathrooms, cable TV and internet access for a fee. There is also a gym on the premises and breakfast is served at the hotel restaurant "Nineteen". Upon arrival in the afternoon, the group decided to return to the town of Huelva for strolling and exploring. On tonight's dinner menu at the hotel restaurant are local specialties from the area.

Western Reserve Academy in Huelva

Relaxing on the beach - Western Reserve Academy group is taking it easy

WRA visits La Giralda and bids farewell to Seville

Impressions and student reports from the WRA visit to La Rabida Monastery in Huelva: "It was absolutely stunning"

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

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

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

WRA at the Chapel Of The Virgin de los Milagros

Western Reserve Academy's Anne performs at the La Rabida Monastery

Sunday, March 18, 2012

WRA student report: "Beautiful Spanish Church Service"

Peter Thewissen sums up the activities of Sunday, March 18 when the WRA travelers visited La Rabida Monastery in Huelva: "Today we went to the monastery where the cross in the chapel came from. We listened to a beautiful Spanish church service and talked with a monk about the history of our cross. We had free time in Sevilla, and finished with a dinner of the tradicional spanish dish, tapas."

Media coverage for WRA concerts in Toledo and Cordoba

WRA performances have been covered by many media in Spain and Portugal: from printed daily press to Cultural magazines, musical agendas and internet media.

Here you have some examples, sorted by concert and city.

TOLEDO CONCERT:

ABC is one of the 3 most read newspapers in the whole country.

http://www.abc.es/20120313/toledo/abcp-breves-20120313.html

20 minutos is the leader in free newspapers in the whole territory. You can find it everywhere.

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1335547/0/

EuropaPress accounts as the second most important News Agency in Spain.

http://www.europapress.es/castilla-lamancha/noticia-iglesia-san-pedro-martir-toledo-acoge-miercoles-concierto-coro-conjunto-western-reserve-academy-20120312095534.html

Also many local media and music media

http://noticias.lainformacion.com/arte-cultura-y-espectaculos/musica-jazz/la-iglesia-de-san-pedro-martir-de-toledo-acoge-este-miercoles-el-concierto-del-coro-y-conjunto-western-reserve-academy_MPU4OeFruxEDUcFeo7D676/

http://aprendetuparte.com.ar/?p=18817

http://www.serapormusica.com/content/8645/282/0/1/1/La-Iglesia-de-San-Pedro-Martir-de-Toledo-acoge-este-miercoles-el-concierto-del-Coro-y-Conjunto-Western-Reserve-Academy.htm

http://www.t-descubre.com/es/activities/show/5091

http://www.lacerca.com/noticias/toledo/concierto_conjunto_western_reserve-109164-1.html

CORDOBA CONCERT: Now some of the links to Cordoba media:

The most important local newspaper, Diario de Córdoba, full new in the printed version, header in the web version - you can access if you log in as user...

http://www.diariocordoba.com/noticias/etcetera/musica-obras-corales-en-conservatorio-profesional_702847.html

http://lnx.artencordoba.co.uk/wordpress/concierto-western-reserve-academy-choir-and-ensemble-y-orquesta-conservatorio-profesional-musica/

http://www.andalocio.es/cont/30567

WRA Tour I-Photo-Album: Candied shots of the singers, musicians, their family and friends

Thanks for your continued interest in the 2012 Western Reserve Academy Performance Tour that is currently taking place in Spain and Portugal. Together with the actual travelers, Incantato Tour Manager Stefania LaRosa, is doing her best to send daily updates in form of pictures and videos from Europe. While these candied shots may not be always perfect in quality, we hope you enjoy them nevertheless. Wishing you a happy Sunday from all of us at Incantato, Sandra Weinacht

See and hear WRA live from Spain

Incantato Impressions: Western Reserve Academy performs in Seville

Endorsements for Incantato

“Dear Incantato, As you know, I’ve had the pleasure of being on five of your tours. Just when I think you can’t possibly top the previous tour, you do. Your attention to detail is remarkable. From departure to return everything is superbly planned – air and ground transportation, top-notch accommodations, food and most importantly, premier performance venues. You definitely deliver on your “boutique” commitment. As an educator, the most important aspect of an international tour is that my students return having had a life-changing experience. This has been the outcome every time I’ve been with your company. Equally important to me is that my guests also have an experience of a lifetime. Not only do you deliver on your commitment to making their experience extra special, you take extra care in understanding their individual needs. My guests rang my phone off the hook when we returned from Eastern Europe last year (yes, they still use phones!). To your potential clients who might read this, I want them to know that if they’ve ever considered taking an instrumental ensemble on an international tour, they’d be missing out on a fabulous opportunity if they didn’t contact Incantato to discuss the possibilities. My last two tours with Incantato included a choir and jazz ensemble. The sacred performance venues for the choir were everything history books have written about. The jazz venues were outstanding – some of the premier jazz clubs in Europe! The level of performance that my students rose to was off the charts – additional validation of my commitment to education and proof that an experience like this is a major game changer to every student musician. This combination tour was in many ways better than just a choir tour or just a jazz tour. It offered a lot of variety to display the diversity of our music department and provided the students a unique peer-to-peer support system, by being both performers and audience members. You did it again!!!”
Richard Burchard, Composer (Gentry Music, Pavane Publishing, National Music Publishers, Hinshaw Music) and Educator (Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY)

“The trip was everything I hoped for and more. Everything promised was delivered. I realize that this tour gave you a number of challenges due to the low number of participants, but you always seemed to find a way to make things happen. I appreciate the positive ‘Can Do’ attitude. You showed what a tour company can do when it really cares about the quality of the performing venues and comfort and satisfaction of its clients.”
Bruce Koliha, BelCanto Choir, Performance Tour to Central Europe 2010

“Our tour with Incatanto was unforgettable. They were able to not only secure for us the most popular and magnificent venues but also the hidden gems and special places only a company with passion and dedication can find. My Women’s Ensemble and Handbells (and even the parents) are still talking about the trip and all the wonderful memories. It has invigorated my program and I am deeply proud to have done business with Sandra and the entire team at Incantato.”
Brian Dehn, Cornelia Connelly, Performance Tour to England and Ireland 2010

“Once again, thanks to you and all the Incantato team for the great tour you arranged for CIC this summer. I truly feel that Incantato delivered a lot for our money on this trip. All of the hotels were nice ones with good locations. What a great idea to give us a night in Vienna near the Prater! And the concert venues were varied and all beautiful. The dinner cruise on our last night was magical and we enjoyed the food, the company, and the views. Thanks for making this a part of our tour. You are so skillful in finding the unique, off the beaten path, towns and villages. These are some of the best memories.”
Sue Klausmeyer, Carolina International Chorale, Performance Tour to Central Europe Summer 2010

"Dear Incantato-Team, the Choir of the Sound and I want to thank you for all you did to make our tour to Northern Italy so incredible. I’ve worked with many other tour companies, but this trip exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. The singers will remember their time in Italy the rest of their lives. To have had the opportunity to perform in those amazing cathedrals with large appreciative audiences was truly memorable. In reflecting on our trip this year, I realized that past tours that I had considered successful fell short when compared to the trip that you put together for us. Incantato provided a consistently high level of organization and personal attention both during the planning stages and on the trip. Other exceptional aspects of the tour were:
- The right amount and high quality of the performances. Our concerts and masses were wonderful.
- Outstanding tour managers that were a wonderful combination of knowledgeable, flexible, personable and fun!
- Beautiful posters and flyers as well as superb advertising of the concerts that resulted in large audiences
- Excellent pacing of the tour—thanks for anticipating when we would need some time to recover
- The included activities were interesting and created a change of pace for the singers
- Great meals, consistently. My vegetarians were very pleased also.
- The choir manager and I are very appreciative of your personal attention to our questions during the planning stages of the trip.
- Terrific bus drivers who made us feel safe and who enjoyed the group
It was a pleasure to work with everyone at your organization and I would be happy to share my experience with Incantato with other potential clients."
Judy Filibeck, Director "Choir of the Sound", Seattle, WA

"Having recently returned from a successful tour of Ireland, I can say without a doubt that this was my finest tour experience. I have used several different tours companies in my years of performance tours, and none have matched the attention to detail, the thoughtful planning, excellent venues & marketing, meal & hotels, and overall management by Incantato Tours. Their pricing was excellent, and when the US currency dropped, they did not raise any of our cost. I would recommend this company to anyone planning a tour, whether they are a large professional ensemble, or a small church choir."
Nathan J. Kreitzer - Director of Choral Activities Santa Barbara City College, CA

"It was a true pleasure working with Sandra and Incantato on our Italy Tour 2008. She is very detail oriented and surpassed many of our expectations. I would recommend Incantato to anyone planning a concert or performance tour."
Rick Christophersen, Director Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, Orange, CA

“My sincerest and deepest thanks to you and all your staff for making this tour for the Quire of Voyces our very best yet! Your attention to every detail, special offerings each day, fine accommodations and outstanding tour guides all made for a very gratifying experience for all of us.”
Susan Kuehn, Quire of Voyces Performance Tour to Italy, June 2010

"I have only wonderful things to say about Incantato Tours! The UGA Chamber Choir traveled to Italy in 2009. From the marvelous concert venues to the excellently managed tour, this was really a dream trip. The highly professional and expert Incantato tour manager who was with us throughout the entire trip, the fantastic bus drivers, and the knowledgeable city tour guides all helped to make the tour run exceptionally smoothly. Probably most important was that this entire trip was really a specialty tour designed especially for this particular choral group. Incantato Tours made it possible for us to sing in some very remarkable places, including the Sistine Chapel. Planning a tour takes incredible dedication and Incantato Tours would definitely be my choice again!"
Dr. Martha Thomas, UGA School of Music, Athens, GA

“We had the wonderful opportunity to go to Spain, sing in great venues, experience an amazing culture, and eat great food. There is always a special element of magic that happens with Incantato Tours.”
Andrew Crane, Director of Choral and Vocal Activities, California State University, San Bernardino;Performance Tour to Spain, June 2010

“Incantato Tours has created the most musically satisfying tour we have ever taken. For the singers touring is about the music in the wonderful cathedrals and the exchanges with the local kids. A toast to Incantato for fulfilling your dream, and for making so many people so happy - now and in the future.”
Arlene Jacobs, SCS Touring Choir, Akron, OH

“Incantanto facilitated maximum educational, religious, and just plain fun experiences among youth and adults alike.”
Ed Bettendorf, Western Reserve Academy, Performance Tour to Italy March 2010

"There are at least four essential ingredients for a successful and rewarding concert tour for young people and their sponsors —appropriate concert settings, advance publicity, opportunities for learning about the areas visited (including exchanges with the local youth), and good logistical planning. The recent tour of the Akron, Ohio Summit Children's Touring Choir through Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria was successful indeed. The venues were most impressive and beautiful. The publicity produced large responsive and appreciative crowds as well as mayor’s receptions with recital opportunities at city halls. The knowledgeable tour guides and the visits with local youth and choirs provided an experience for the choir members that will not be soon forgotten. The schedule for travel, meals, concerts and touring were planed and flexible enough to accommodate for unexpected delays without loss of any scheduled tour, exchange or concert. Finally, a "shadow tour" of parents and sponsors was also a success and allowed those who wished to do so to attend every reception, recital and concert while being guided on a separate tour, well planned and executed. As one who worked with Sandra Weinacht and her staff at Incantato I can assure you it would not have been such a success without their planning and execution of our tour. They are to be commended and I would highly recommend Incantato Tours to anyone considering a group tour, especially a performance tour.
C.A. Ridge Jr., A Summit Choral Society Sponsor

“Incantato Tours impresses me because their clients come first. Their advantage lies in the selection of venues, impressive itineraries and the ability to tend to details.”
Dr. Gary L. Unruh, Professor Emeritus, CSU Fresno

“I can't speak highly enough about Incantato Tours. They were with us every step of the way, tailoring a tour that was perfect for our wants, needs and budget. I would recommend Incantato to anyone serious about a choir tour, especially if you want a tour that provides wonderful indelible memories of the best that a tour can be.”
Stan DeWitt, Minister of Music, Grace First Presbyterian Church, Long Beach, CA;
Performance Tour to Ireland, April 2010

"Of the eight international tours I've taken as both singer and conductor, last summer's CSULB tour to Naples, Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast with Incantato was the best organized and the most fun. Our tour manager and guides were professional, wonderful teachers, and our venues were beautiful. We saw stunning posters for our events everywhere we walked. The marketing for our concerts was incredible! Our audiences were huge and exuberant, and Incantato made all the pieces fell into place beautifully. Thank you Incantato Tours for the personal attention, for the flexibility that allowed us to choose exactly where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. We're already planning for 2010."
Dr. Jonathan Talberg - Director of Choral, Vocal, and Opera Studies, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, California State University, Long Beach

"Canticum Novum, The tour choir of Central Church in Phoenix just completed its most successful tour in 35 years of concertizing abroad, solely due to the excellent management of Incantato. Their attention to every detail, response to every request, superb International Staff, and excellence in concert management are singularly distinctive. Theirs is a professional concert management group who are also excellent providers of travel services. That is a distinctive difference. Travel agents are for travel; Incantato provides concert management in stunning venues, and the organizational minutia supporting these artistic events in addition to fine-tuned travel experiences filled with special amenities. If music making in superb acoustical spaces to wonderfully receptive audiences is your priority, Incantato is the professional tour group for your ensemble."
Donald. E. Morse, Central United Methodist Church, Phoenix, AZ

"The San Marino Chamber Singers have been very fortunate to travel several times already with the director of Incantato Tours, Ms. Sandra Weinacht. She was our personal tour and concert manager when we traveled to Italy in 2005 and then designed, organized and oversaw our tour to Central Europe in 2007. It was another huge success. Aside from selecting and working with prime venues only, Ms. Weinacht's staff also put in great time and effort in promoting our concerts through beautiful designed and professionally printed concert posters and cards. Incantato's marketing of our performances became highly visible to the public and contributed to the success of every concert. I have been more than impressed with their professionalism and highly recommend Incantato Tours to everyone. They definitely cater to each choir member's personal needs and watch every detail. The hotels were carefully selected, the meals were beyond our expectation. If there were ever any problems, they were dealt with beautifully and professionally on the spot. We were very impressed with how well the whole tour was executed. The next time we go back to Europe, it will be with Incantato Tours."
Howard Cheung, San Marino Chamber Choir, CA

"Well, you did it. I don't know how, but you did it! You accepted the challenge, and performed a small miracle. My hat is off to you and Ted for creating what is, for me, the most musically satisfying tour we have taken. All of the kids who have been on the three tours (Italy, China, and Europe) agreed, hands down, that this was the best ever. For them it's about the music in the wonderful cathedrals and the exchanges with the local kids. In festival-type situations they are not really "up close and personal" with other kids - they're mostly rehearsing. At any rate, a toast to Incantato, to you and Ted for fulfilling your dream, and for making so many people so happy - now and in the future. Thank you!"
Arlene Jacobs, Artistic Director, Summit Children’s Touring Choir and Co-Founder of the Summit Choral Society (SCS)

"Incantato stresses the small town experience as well as the traditional larger cities, but it wasn't until I looked out on the valley and town of Salice Terme spread out below us as we enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked Italian meal that I truly understood or appreciated that element. At that moment, "Italy" became much more than a series of famous cities to check off my list; it became a real world, a place of rolling hills as well as marble cathedrals, time-honored traditions and modern technology. A true mix of culture and heritage unknown and unappreciated by those in the United States --- until you arrive! The experience we had of singing in the Sistine Chapel is absolutely indescribable, yet I must try. It's been almost three months since the last note of Gregorio Allegri's Miserere echoed off Botticelli's walls and Michelangelo's awesome ceiling, but to the choir it is still as vivid a memory as if we sang there last night. I can't thank Sandra and the Incantato Team enough for arranging such a poignant moment"
David Okun, student at UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Athens, GA

Western Reserve Academy Austria and Italy Performance Tour 2014