Choir Tours Performing Arts Tours Around the World . 2015 ACFEA provides you with... • Knowledgeable staff who travel extensively in the places you want to tour acfea.com • A dedicated Tour Manager who works with you from the initial proposal until the end - of your tour 800 627-2141 • Offices and representatives worldwide, with experienced local staff, to ensure that your tour runs smoothly “I am always • Opportunities for your choir to perform with professional orchestras – a concept impressed with we pioneered • Distinctive cultural experiences to accent your tour such as homestays, special dinners the accessibility of and unique workshops the ACFEA staff, • Up-to-date online information – customized for your group – on the Tour Central section from planning to of our website implementation. • Personal service throughout, including group presentations, careful handling of all I feel as though individual travel requests, a pre-departure briefing for the entire group approximately one month prior to your departure and assistance with check-in at your departure airport ours is the only tour happening – and I know that’s not true.” Imagine performing... In Cuzco, after visiting ancient Incan sites such as the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu during Deborah DeSantis, a tour of Peru Artistic Director, Colorado Children’s Chorale In the Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice and the Chiesa Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio in Florence during a tour of Italy New songs in various African languages, taught by an African conductor during a tour of South Africa Off the beaten track in intimate venues in Bosnia For appreciative audiences in Auckland, Napier, Wellington and Christchurch while exploring one of the world’s most scenic countries during a tour of New Zealand In St. Petersburg’s Glinka Capella and Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall during a tour of Russia In a wide range of concert venues such as the Beijing Central Conservatory, Hangzhou Grand Theater and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center during a tour of China Berea College Concert Choir gives an informal recital in the Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain Fountain Valley High School Troubadours 2014 Tour of China excerpt of an article written by Kevin Tison, Director of Vocal Music, Fountain Valley High School ACFEA has hit yet another home run! In June of 2014, we embarked on our fourth international performance tour, planned by Hugh Davies and ACFEA’s great staff abroad. After three previous tours to Europe, which were all amazing, I was ready for a change of direction, taking us to China and Hong Kong for ten days of spectacular performances and adventure! Photo courtesy of Marianne Swienink-Havard If world-class venues packed with enthusiastic audiences were Chorus of Westerly not enough, the tour was filled with CZECH REPUBLIC profound and meaningful historic and 2014 Tour of the cultural experiences– visiting such Czech Republic, AUSTRIA iconic places as the Great Wall (where CHINA Austria and Hungary HUNGARY we also did a casual performance), the terracotta warriors, beautiful jade and silk “If there’s one thing I learned through this process, it’s that with factories, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen great risk comes great reward. I want to tell every one of you Square, the ancient city wall of Xi’an and Victoria Peak in Hong that if you are ever given the opportunity to take a risk that Kong with its stunning views. My goal was to have my students could result in something amazing, you must take it.” These were experience firsthand what they read and learn in so many other the final words delivered by Ryan Saunders, the 35-year-old academic areas of school. No longer just photos and narratives in Executive Director of the Chorus of Westerly, during his speech textbooks, these places and experiences were brought to life! on the last night of the group’s tour of Central Europe. As the boat on which the group was dining gracefully floated down A personal highlight for me was getting to conduct a full the Danube through an illuminated Budapest, Ryan and Music performance in the beautiful He Luting Concert Hall at the Director Andrew Howell stood on the top deck, observing with internationally renowned Shanghai Conservatory of Music. I can still misty eyes all the gleeful members of the group singing, taking remember the faces of all the Chinese children, peeking over the photos and just enjoying every last drop of this epic adventure. edge of the balcony as they watched the concert below. I’m sure I had a huge smile on my face for at least two days after this concert! The tour began in Prague, where they performed Dvoˇrák’s Stabat Mater with a local orchestra in Smetana Hall to nearly 1,000 eager audience members. They continued to Vienna, performing for a packed St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Finally, they arrived in Budapest, giving a concert in the Matthias Church that was so full that several would-be concertgoers had to be turned away at the door for lack of space. While having packed halls for outstanding performances was certainly a highlight for the Chorus of Westerly, the feeling of accomplishment will last far beyond the end of the applause. To read these articles in their entirety, you can download the latest version of our annual newsletter, Tour Notes, found at www.acfea.com. 2 ACFEA Turns 60 by Hugh Davies, President, ACFEA North America Founded in 1955, before almost all of our staff were born, we are celebrating our 60th birthday in 2015. Even I, the longest-serving employee in North America, will have 'only' been with the company for 29 years by then, a humbling thought that emphasizes the durability of the organization regardless of any individual. Golden Gate Men’s Chorus LATVIA When we started, tours were much longer (not least 2014 Tour of Latvia and Lithuania because the transatlantic journey was by sea) and LITHUANIA much cheaper (I have a brochure for a 1967 tour, The outstanding Golden Gate Men’s Chorus from 12 years later, advertising 22 days in 8 countries for San Francisco, directed by Joseph Piazza, had never $745, including airfare). But much has not changed: been on an international tour before 2014. However, we are still staffed by musicians, we still inspect every far from choosing a mainstream destination for its first overseas adventure, hotel and every performance venue, we still give pre- the group decided on Latvia and Lithuania. departure briefings, and we still see groups off at the The focus of the tour was the World Choir Games in Riga, where they departure airport. It seems we got a lot right from participated in three Champions Competition categories: Male Choirs, the very beginning. Musica Sacra with accompaniment, and Spirituals. They were delighted I am honored to be part of an institution that has to win gold medals in the first two and a silver medal in the third– given so much pleasure to so many people for so congratulations! many years, and very content knowing that, when As a warm-up for the competition, and taking advantage of the opportunity the time eventually comes for me to retire, the to see a little more of this relatively unexplored corner of Europe, the chorus company has a momentum and longevity of its own. spent four nights in Lithuania, visiting Vilnius and Kaunas. They performed Happy birthday, ACFEA! in Vilnius’s St. Catherine’s Church and Kaunas’s Philharmonic Hall, with the former being a particularly memorable and rewarding event. ACFEA staff in Savannah, GA during our 2014 Global Summit Rocky Mountain Children’s Choir 2014 Tour of Germany GERMANY The Rocky Mountain Children’s Choir (RMCC), based in the Denver area, comprises both mixed and single-sex ensembles of varying ages. As its mission states, RMCC “actively seeks children from diverse backgrounds and offers the opportunity to experience musical excellence in a multicultural environment.” In June, 2014, RMCC crossed the Atlantic for the group’s first foray into Europe. Starting in Berlin and ending in Munich, the choir explored both big cities and small towns throughout Germany. Highlights of the tour included a moving performance for the Jewish High Holy Days at the ruins of the Jewish sector of Buchenwald concentration camp, and an impromptu performance of Biebl’s Ave Maria in Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. In addition, the group had the opportunity to stay with local hosts in Wangen im Allgäu, a small town that opened its doors and hearts to the visitors. 3 acfea.com Where Europe next? Morris Knolls High School Choir Whether you want to performs in St. Peter’s Church in Riga, Latvia perform in some of the most prestigious venues in Europe or get off the beaten track, ACFEA has offices and representatives throughout the world that work with your ACFEA Tour Manager to help you reach your tour goals. From South The Choir of America to South St. Wilfrid of York Africa, Asia to Australia, Episcopal Church rehearses in St. Paul’s ACFEA can take Cathedral in London during its you there. weeklong residency Plano Civic Chorus performs in the Església Santa Maria in Blanes, Spain Australia South & Africa New Zealand Mississippi College Singers on top of Table Mountain, overlooking Winston-Salem State University Choir Cape Town with Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy students in Henley-on-Klip 4 Sacramento Children’s Latin America Chorus at a tea village near Hangzhou Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir is joined by the mariachi performer who was inspired to dance during their singing of the Mexican hat dance Asia Heinz Chapel Choir at Lake Titicaca in Peru The San Francisco Boys Chorus has an informal sing-along during a sightseeing trip to Poas Volcano in Costa Rica Boston Children’s Chorus Australia at Angkor Wat in Cambodia & New Zealand St.