Day 10: Munich to San Antonio

What a fantastic tour and fun group of travelers.  Auf wiedersehen Munich....San Antonio here we come!

In Munich airport, playing cards and spending our last Euros until we can begin boarding.

Day 9: Mozart Missa Solemnis, K. 337 at the Salzburger Dom, Shopping and the Market, Lake Koenigssee

Attending mass with chorus and orchestra at the cathedral.

Lots of shopping!!!!

 

Mozart chocolates!!!!

And finally the lake!!!!

"Christian, get down from there!"

Day 8: Walking Tour of Salzburg's Old Town and Rhapsody Festival Concert at St. Andreas

We met our lovely tour guide, Horst who took us to rehearsal at St. Andreas (The Sound of Music COW is pictured in front of it). 

Following our rehearsal, Horst gave us a very thorough tour of the city

including Mozart's house,

the center square of Salzburg,

"Christian, get down from there!"

St. Peter's Abbey and burial ground (the inspiration for the famous escape scene in The Sound of Music),

and finally we got to go up in the funicular to the majestic fortress Hohensalzburg which overlooks the city.  What a view and wonderful place to sit and enjoy lunch!

 

Day 7: Melk Abbey and Salzburg!

We left Vienna this morning and drove west to tour Melk Abbey in Lower Austria. The Melk area has a long history, beginning with Bronze Age settlements and surviving numerous times of war, reform, reconstruction, and changes of ownership. Today the abbey remains an active monastery with about 30 Benedictine monks who, among other things, teach about 900 local boys and girls.
 

We performed an impromptu concert while in the church!

After a tour of the abbey and a quick lunch, we were back on the bus and heading to Salzburg. Once there, we checked into our third hotel, and after a break to freshen up, we headed to dinner at a local restaurant.  There we met three other choral groups from China, Canada, and the United States visiting Austria for the Rhapsody International Music Festival! Each group was called up to introduce themselves, sing a song, and answer some trivia. While this was one of SACS’s final evenings, these groups had just arrived and were beginning their respective tours through Europe. We also met Nita and Valerie from Classical Movements, who helped to plan our whole tour.

-Megan : )

Day 6: St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Tracing Footsteps of Famous Composers, and Dinner on the Danube

We sang four songs during the noon mass at St. Stephen's Cathedal, Vienna.  Listen to us singing Blest Are the Eyes and Haydn's The Heaven's Are Telling.

 

Following the mass, we gave a half-hour concert.  Here is Seth playing some Bach on the organ at St. Stephen's!

That afternoon we visited Beethoven's House in Heiligenstadt, then had wine spritzers in the biergarten.

Lastly, the day concluded with an amazing dinner cruise on the Danube.

Day 5: Vienna Fun Times and Mariahilf Concert

Though our beloved U.S. Men's Soccer Team lost to Belgium the night before, we were very much excited about exploring Vienna on this day. In fact, when asked what she was most excited about, Soprano I, Allyson Phillips, replied, "The palaces. 'Cause I'm a princess!" Vienna certainly did not disappoint in this regard. A city of almost 2 million residents and 23 living districts, Vienna is a city peppered with modern buildings, classic stucco exteriors, and Greek influences. We were able to see this on our bus tour of the city center, along with various universities, the opera house, museums, and even where Freud had his coffee!

While on our bus tour, we were able to take a walking tour of the Hapsburger winter palace, where the royal family spent their time from October to May. Here they train Lippizaner horses for performances, but school was out for the summer for these stunning stallions. Following the winter palace, we visited Schonbrunn (the summer palace), where we naturally took a group picture in our Spurs gear before entering the palace for another tour.

It was here we learned about the Hapsburger family tree (which included Queen Maria Therese having SIXTEEN CHILDREN), the different rooms and how there was a room made of Brazilian Rosewood just 'cause, and various celebrity appearances, including John F. Kennedy.

After our tour of the palace, we were given the opportunity to explore the city circle or go back to the hotel. A few of us went to the shopping street and visited the department store, Steffl. Following the realization that we couldn't afford the 1,089.00 Euro Jimmy Choos, we took the metro back to the hotel, and prepared for our next concert.

This time, SACS and Conventus Musicus each performed a set at the Mariahilf Church (aka Haydnkirche), and also performed Locus Iste and May The Lord Bless You And Keep You together. Between sets, we had the opportunity to watch Conventus Musicus perform various songs in different languages, such as French, Latin, and German. We ended our set with Deep In The Heart of Texas, and even had audience members clapping along with us!  Seth played some organ pieces for Flute Clock by Haydn.

 
Listen to us sing some of our selections from this concert:  Sing to the Lord, Super flumina Babylonis, MLK.

 

Finally, we ended the night with a delicious late night dinner and numerous memories!

XOXO,
Christina

Day 4: St. Florian Abbey, Linz

This morning we left Munich and headed to the Abbey of St. Florian, located in Linz, Austria. Along the way, Alexandra gave us a brief overview of the life of an average German- from school to working life to retirement!  

We arrived at the abby in the early afternoon, and after lunch we were given a guided tour of the main abbey complex. St. Florian is the patron saint of both fire and water related dangers, and was martyred for his conversion to Christianity in 306 AD. The highlight of our tour was visiting the crypt of the famous composer  Anton Bruckner, who was buried there in 1896. Bruckner chose this location of his burial because it was his boyhood home, and because the church’s main organ can be heard from his resting place.

Following the tour, we performed our second concert inside the church.  We performed the first part of our concert in the choir loft, with the assistance of the beautiful organ and the masterful playing of Seth our accompanist!  

We completed our concert in front of the altar of the church.  Here is a recording of us singing Bruckner's motet Locus iste at St. Florian's.

Once our concert was over, we climbed back onto the bus and continued on to Vienna and dinner!

-Megan : )

Day 3: Sightseeing in Munich and Concert with Munich International Choral Society





Day three in Munich was incredibly interesting.  We began the day sightseeing in downtown Munich, splitting up after listening to the historical sounds of the glockenspiel in the center of the old part of the city for sightseeing and lunch on our own.  "I can't decide if I should wear sunglasses or have my umbrella."  Jennifer could not have described the weather more accurately.  It would rain, then it would shine. 

Infamous Apfelstrudle!

However, rain or shine the concert with the Munich International Choral Society was going to happen.  Both choirs performed together in perfect harmony as if we were one big long distant singing family, performing Abendlied by Rheinberger and Locus iste by Bruckner. 

After the concert, all the performers met at a pub called Ratskeller and shared many laughs and stories, ending the night with singing and a unique friendship.

Joseph

Day 2: Freising Cathedral and Neuschwanstein Castle

 

Today we touched down in Munich and met our tour guide, Alexandra and our coach driver, Hans Peter!  We then traveled about twenty minutes away to a town called Freising, where we attended a German Mass in the beautiful Freising Cathedral. This is the cathedral in which all German priests are ordained, including Pope Benedict XVI in 1951! The cathedral consists of several sections, the oldest of which is a Romanesque tomb dating from 1159. The main hall of the cathedral was done in stunning Baroque Rococo style and was truly amazing to behold!

That afternoon we traveled about two hours to reach Neuschwanstein Castle, which was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria between 1868 and 1886. Although construction on the castle came to a halt after the king died under mysterious circumstances, we were able to tour the finished rooms of the castle. Each of the rooms were astoundingly beautiful and intricately crafted to depict scenes from the operas of Wagner.

Following our tour of the castle, we headed back to Munich for dinner at a local beer garden, followed by some well-earned rest.  So, despite the day-long drizzle and less than balmy temperatures, we managed to have a fantastic second day!

- Megan and Christian   : )

Day 1: San Antonio to Munich

 

Subtitle: "Running on  High Spirits a.k.a. Adrenaline"

Pack light. That was the message to SACS travelers before embarking from San Antonio to Philadelphia and then on to Munich on Day One of our travels. Members of our choral society were so concerned about what to pack and what to leave behind that many of us had trouble sleeping.  The excitement of the trip and adventures unknown combined with worries of missed wakeup alarms and forgetting something important, like our music, made for a rough night of sleep prior to the departure morning.  Luckily we all made it on time to the San Antonio airport and checked in with ease.  The San Antonio leg to Philadelphia was uneventful, which is a good thing, and so we were off to a great start on our Bavarian adventures.

What to do during a four hour layer in Philadelphia?  Try out a Philly Cheesesteak, of course! That was the favorite pastime of many of our members.  Most decided to bypass the Philly pretzel and opt for getting the real deal in Germany.  The search for power was a popular activity.  Will we have juice when we arrive in Europe?  Better charge it up while you can.

What to do on a ten hour flight to Munich?  Watch movies, of course!  There were so many choices on board for entertainment that it seems every chair was showing a different movie.  For some travelers, this dedicated seating time provided needed time to catch up on pop culture. 

Overnight travel was challenging as we weren't convinced it was night.  Our body clocks still read daytime, but we needed to sleep in order to get through the rigorous agenda planned for the day ahead.  Sleep was elusive, but pillow pets around our necks proved to be a fun and useful sleeping aid.

The adrenaline and excitement of the tour kept many awake and engaged.    Some were thankful for compression socks and Dramamine.  Others were enjoying the opportunity to get to know their fellow singers more in depth and personal.  We had plenty of time to share our stories of achievement, disappointment, love, loss, and family.  The bottom line is that sleeping on the plane was a miracle and it was a blessing indeed to receive two or three hours and four if you were lucky and had a sleeping mask, blankie, and pillow pal.

All in all, day one was a fantastic beginning to the wonderful experiences to come.  Some of our folks indicated they were simply too fatigued to remember as the long hours of travel were just a blur.  The bonding we did brought us closer together and we learned quickly that we have to look out for one another.  The only hiccup in the day was when a suitcase was left in the secure area and there was panic on how to get it back.  Truly, it was a smooth day.  We landed in Munich to rain.  Hopefully, everyone brought their umbrellas and rain boots.

Karen and contributions from singers

Farewell Concert

Thanks to everyone who came to our farewell concert this evening at Mission Concepción and for packing the house.  We had a blast and really appreciate your support.  What a beautiful place to make music in; the sound waves are still echoing in my head hours later.  We are ready now!  Munich here we come! 

At Mission Concepcion

Today was the last time we would be singing in the States before we head up into our tour in Bavaria, Austria and sing all the pieces composed my composers who walked the steps we will soon be taking in the next few days. Our pre - concert which was at the historic Mission Concepcion in the downtown San Antonio area helped the Choral Society with its beautiful acoustics and reverent space for us to perform in. Thank you to all who have been with us this far and still to follow us on our tour. It is going to be a wonderful and exciting experience which will change our musical perspective once we sing in the actual spaces where the composers resided. Have a great day and be back soon,

-Christian

Counting my Blessings as we Countdown the Days

Today is June 25, 2014

I just received the program order for tonight’s warm up concert at Mission Concepcion and am feeling so very blessed that (1) we received a good soaking rain in San Antonio this morning and (2) that the rain cleared in time for tonight’s rehearsal.  I've organized my music folder and am ready to go.  Wish I could say as much for my suitcase.  It is neither organized nor ready to go!

While I am looking forward to our Bavarian adventure, I am experiencing some trepidation at the thought of eating German and Austrian food as I’m not a fan of bratwurst, knockwurst, sauerbraten, fermented shredded cabbage also known as sauerkraut, vinegar potatoes, or even those little Vienna sausages that come in a can.  Those are from Vienna, right?  I actually looked it up.  They're not.  But, in the course of exploration, I ran across a nice site about Vienna.

What a dietary dilemma.  I may have to live on Apfelstrudel and Kipferl. Speaking of Kipferl, did you know the croissant as we think of it today, all French and flaky, originated in Vienna, Austria? The Kipferl, ancestor of the croissant, has been documented in Austria going back at least as far as the 13th century, in various shapes not limited to the crescent shape with which we are most

familiar.

“Blest are the eyes that have not seen you” has become one of my favorite pieces to sing from the tour repertoire.  I am so excited at the thought of sharing this beautiful text through song during the offertory of the Mass for the Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, Austria.

On your mark, get set, countdown to Vienna 7 = days.  We perform two concerts in Vienna, the first is July 2.

Countdown to departure = 3 days.

Karen

Mission Concepción and St. Stephens

Today is June 23, 2014: Ave Verum Corpus

I'm excited at the opportunity to sing at one of the oldest unrestored stone churches in America, Mission Concepción. The acoustics are likely to be amazing. Learn more about the mission, built in 1755, by visiting this webpage: http://www.nps.gov/saan/historyculture/conc_history1.htm.

Near the end of Ave Verum Corpus, we say, "Esto nobis praegustatum ... in mortis examine." The English translation of the Latin text is "Be for us a foretaste in the test of death."  The word foretaste is referencing the sacrament as a foretaste of heaven to come.  In these words, I'm thinking how lovely it is that the concert at Mission Concepción is a foretaste of the heavenly gift our group is given to sing at St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna.

For a quick two minute informative video about St. Stephens, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZJJjSUz08U.

Countdown to departure: 5 days

Karen

Pre-Tour Concert

Join us this Thursday to hear the Choral Society perform their European tour program one last time before they depart San Antonio!  We'll be in the lovely acoustic of Mission Concepción at 7:00 pm.  Wir hoffen, euch dort zu sehen!!

Rehearsing for choir tour

Rehearsals for our choir tour are in full swing.  What a fun group of people!  This tour is going to be a blast!