The Falcon Choirs in the Press: Translation of the article (Thüringer Allgemeine)

Here is a translation for parts of the article (Thüringer Allgemeine):

Take 43 young and talented singers from the USA, a fully occupied wedding church and wonderful spring weather – what more could you need for a successful choir concert?

The travels from California went smoothly, all the way until shortly before Dornheim. Then, there was a closed railway barrier that no one had expected, thus making the concert start late yesterday, in the Bach wedding church, St. Bartholomäus. Luckily, nobody was bothered, because they were all very excited about the opportunity – both the audience, as well as the singers. […]

[…] There was an immediate connection between the choir and the audience yesterday. The young American singers showed that they can not only sing, but that they have fun while singing as well. After the concert there was coffee and cake in the Bachstübchen - and a donation from the choir to the society. The fact that the railway barrier was still closed, again, seemed to bother no one.

The Falcon Choirs in the Press: Concert in Dornheim

Newspaper: Thüringer Allgemeine

Fünf Jugendchöre gaben in der Traukirche ein Konzert


43 junge und begabte Sänger aus den USA, eine volle Traukirche und herrliches Frühlingswetter - mehr Zutaten braucht ein erfolgreiches Chorkonzert nicht.
Von Kalifornien bis kurz vor Dornheim gab es keine Probleme. Nur mit der geschlossenen Bahnschranke hatte keiner gerechnet. So ging es etwas später los gestern in der Traukirche St. Bartholomäus. Aber niemand störte es. Denn alle waren froh, das sie gekommen waren. Die Zuschauer, weil noch vor kurzem niemand mit diesem Kontert gerechnet hatte. Und die Sängerinnen und Sänger, weil sie begeistert waren von dem geschichtsträchtigen Dornheimer Gotteshaus. Wie passen 43 Sänger überhaupt in die kleine Kirche? Das Geheimnis ist: Es müssen ja nicht immer alle zusammen singen. Konzertieren die Damen, gehen die Herren auf die Empore - und umgekehrt. Und so geht das mit fast allen der fünf Chöre, die da gemeinsam durch Deutschland reisen. Sie kommen zwar alle von einem kalifornischen Gymnasium, der "Crescenta Valley High School", aber von den 1000 Gymnasiasten sind 200 in Chören aktiv. 43 von ihnen machen gegenwärtig ihre "Oster-Tour" durch Deutschland. München ist dabei und Berlin, wo sie in der Gedächtniskirche singen. Und Dornheim. Eigentlich sollte es ein Kontert in Erfurt werden, aber irgendwie kam das nicht zustande. Als Susen Reuter von der Arnstädter Stadtmarketing davon hörte, stellte sie den Kontakt her. Und die deutsche Agentur war gestern von der Dornheimer Kirche und den Gastgebern so begeistert, dass sie vielleicht wiederkommen wollen mit anderen Gruppen. Auch zwischen Chören und Publikum sprang gestern der Funke schnell über. Die Jugendlichen zeigten, dass sie nicht nur singen können, sondern dass es ihnen auch Spaß macht. Hinterher gab es Kaffee und Kuchen im Bachstübchen - und eine Spende der Chöre für die Vereinskasse. Dass die Schranke da immer noch zu war, störte noch immer keinen.

Wishing you a safe flight home

After a final leisure day and farewell dinner on Saturday,the Falcon Choir tour comes to an end today as the group leaves Berlin and returns to LAX. We wish all the travellers a relaxing journey and safe return home. The Incantato Tour Team.

The Falcon Choirs Visit The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery on April 10

The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery is a 1.3km-long section of the wall near the center of Berlin. Approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world cover this memorial for freedom, and make it the largest open air gallery in the world.

While the Falcon Choir is spending time in Berlin with Incantato Tours, they will visit the East Side Gallery on April 10 and experience a part of German history.

The Gallery consists of paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery was founded following the successful merger of the two German artists' associations VBK and BBK. The founding members were Bodo Sperling, Barbara Greul Aschanta, Jörg Kubitzki and David Monti. It is possibly the largest and longest-lasting open air gallery in the world. Paintings from Jürgen Grosse alias INDIANO, Dimitri Vrubel, Siegfrid Santoni, Bodo Sperling, Kasra Alavi, Kani Alavi, Jim Avignon, Thierry Noir, Ingeborg Blumenthal, Ignasi Blanch i Gisbert, Kim Prisu, Hervé Morlay VR and others have followed. The paintings at the East Side Gallery document the time of change and express the euphoria and great hopes for a better and free future for all people of the world. In July 2006, to facilitate access to the River Spree from O2 World, a 40 meter section was moved somewhat west, parallel to the original position. Two-thirds of the paintings are badly damaged by erosion, graffiti, and vandalism. One-third have been restored by a non-profit organization which started work in 2000. The objective of this organization is the eventual restoration and preservation of all the paintings. Full restoration, particularly of the central sections, was projected for 2008. Remediation began in May 2009.

The pictures are from the website www.berlin-tourist-information.de.

The Falcon Choirs Visit the Jewish Museum Berlin on April 10, 11.30 AM

On Saturday, April 10, 11:30 am, the travelers of the Falcon Choirs are going to visit the Jewish Museum Berlin. Incantato Tours has arranged a combined visit and workshop under the title "Survival through Music".

The Jewish Museum Berlin covers two millennia of German Jewish history, and it consists of two buildings. One is the old Kollegienhaus, a former courthouse, built in the 18th century. The other, a new addition specifically built for the museum, was designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. This was one of the first buildings in Berlin designed after German reunification. The museum opened to the public in 2001. Princeton professor W. Michael Blumenthal, who was born near Berlin and was later President Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of the Treasury, has been the director of the museum since December 1997.

Survival through Music - Tour of the permanent exhibition and a visit to the Rafael Roth Learning Center: A tour through the exhibition section "German Jews' reaction to National Socialism" is combined with a visit to the Rafael Roth Learning Center. Here, the story of Coco Schumann - who experienced social exclusion as a young Jew in Berlin - is interactively and excitingly relayed. At the age of 18 he was deported first to the Theresienstadt ghetto and then to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, which he survived as musician to the guards. Numerous documentary film clips as well as pictures, texts, and audio recordings give a powerful insight into his life and survival. With the help of a worksheet, visitors independently engage with the multimedia content of the Learning Center, answering questions on the offerings and source materials that they view and listen to at the computer stations.

The pictures are from the official homepage of the museum.

Falcon Choir student blogger Cody reports from Berlin: A Great Ending with the Man in the Red Scarf

So its Friday night here in Berlin and a few hours ago we had our last concert of the tour. We had a decent sized audience that provided the needed energy that we couldn’t gather up by ourselves after such a great and exhausting trip. Even when we don’t feel like we sang as best as we could’ve there always seems to be at least one audience member that has something to say that lifts our spirits right back up. I truly don’t believe we could’ve had a better tour with better performances. And with only one more full day to go, I can say that this trip has been worth every dollar and euro that has gone into it.

In tonight’s performance we had an older gentleman, whom we affectionately named “the cute old guy with the red scarf”, who had a special appreciation for the songs we sang. Throughout the concert it was obvious that he was really enjoying it, but he almost couldn’t contain himself after hearing the first few notes of Weeping Mary. In an instant he put his hands to his face in shock and from half way across the church I could see him holding back tears, and as our three split up choirs sang back and forth, he started discretely conducting the song along with Mrs. Alderman from his seat in perfect synchronization. Somehow he knew the song and he knew it well, and I think we may have made his night. Before we could get a chance to talk to him, however, he had walked out with his wife without saying a word to anyone. That was pretty dang cool to say the least, and a fantastic way to end our tour.

As much as I’m looking forward to going home to be back with my family, back in my house, and back to more comfortable food, I’m going to miss Germany a lot. I don’t know that I could live here or anything like that, but it sure is an amazing place to visit, and the memories that the 2009-2010 CVHS Falcon Choir has made on this trip will never be forgotten.

-Cody Chase

www.codyshoots.blogspot.com

The Falcon Choirs Discover Berlin on April 9 & 10

On April 9 and 10, the Falcon Choirs are going to discover Berlin! This city is the capital and one of 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million people, Berlin is also Germany's largest city. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Area, comprising 5 million people from over 190 nations. Geographically embedded in the European Plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city's territory is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.
First documented in the 13th century Berlin was successively, the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945). During the 1920s, Berlin was the third largest municipality in the world.
After World War II, the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (1961–1989). Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of all Germany hosting 147 foreign embassies. Berlin is a major center of culture, politics, media, and science in Europe. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, congress and convention venues. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport, and is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the EU. The metropolis is home to world-renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras, museums and personalities. Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist.

The Falcon Choirs Sing at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin on April 9 at 7.30 pm

On Friday, April 9, the Falcon Choirs are going to perform their finale highlight concert at a very special venue in Berlin.
The Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche) is located on the Kurfürstendamm in the center of the Breitscheidplatz. The original church on the site was built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. The present building, which consists of a church with an attached foyer and a separate belfry with an attached chapel, was built between 1959 and 1963. The damaged spire of the old church has been retained and its ground floor has been made into a memorial hall.
The foundation stone for the old church was laid on March 22, 1891. The competition for the design was won by Franz Schwechten who planned for a large church to be built in neo-romanesque style, including 2,740 square meters of wall mosaic. The spire was 113 meters (370' and 8.81") in stature and the nave seated over 2,000 people. The church was consecrated on September 1, 1895. By this time of the consecration the entrance hall in the lower section had not been completed. This was opened and consecrated on February 22, 1906. In the Second World War, on the night of November 23, 1943, the church was irreparably damaged in an air raid. The church was largely destroyed but part of the spire and much of the entrance hall survived. The entrance hall in the base of the damaged spire was reopened to visitors, having been consecrated on 7 January 1987.
Its floor contains a mosaic of the Archangel Michael fighting the dragon. The vault shows a procession of Hohenzollern princes, early and more recent. Other mosaics show important monarchs in medieval Germany, Reformation thinkers and Reformation princes. Bas-relief sculptures illustrate scenes from biblical stories, scenes from the life of Kaiser Wilhelm I and symbolic figures representing war and peace. In the north apse are 16 display panels which tell the story of the old church and its destruction. At the opposite end of the hall are three items which symbolize the history of the church. In the middle is a damaged statue of Christ which originally stood on the altar of the old church. To its right is the Cross of Nails which was made from nails in the roof timbers of Coventry Cathedral. This cathedral had been severely damaged in a German air raid on 14 November 1940. To the left of the statue of Christ is an icon cross which was given by the Russian Orthodox Church and handed over in 1988. Outside the hall are four sandstone figures made by Stefan Kaehne.

The pictures are from the official website of the church.

Falcon video from Bach's wedding church

The Falcon Choirs Perform at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig on April 8 at 11.30 am

After exciting days in Rothenburg and Chemnitz, the Falcon Choirs will stop in Leipzig on Thursday, April 8. The singers are going to perform a recital at the Thomaskirche at 11.30 am. The church is a gem for fans of Johann Sebastian Bach. Have a closer look at it with Incantato Tours:

The Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) is a Lutheran church and it is most famous as the place where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as a cantor, and where his remains currently lie. There has been a church at the current site of the Thomaskirche since the 12th century. Between 1212 and 1222 the preceding church became the new St. Thomas Monastery of the Augustinian order. In 1217, The Minnesinger, or troubadour, Heinrich von Morungen bequeathed to the church a relic of St. Thomas as he entered the order of canons after a trip to India. After several reconstructions (remains of an earlier Romanesque church were found during archaeological excavations), the current building, an example of late Gothic architecture, was consecrated by Thilo of Trotha, the Bishop of Merseburg, on April 10, 1496. The reformer Martin Luther preached here on Pentecost Sunday in 1539. Today, it is a Lutheran church. The tower was first built in 1537 and reconstructed in 1702, leading to its current height of 68 meters. The composer Johann Sebastian Bach was choir director at St. Thomas Church from 1723 until his death in 1750. A statue of Johann Sebastian Bach that stands next to the church was dedicated in 1908. On December 4, 1943, the tower was damaged in an Allied bombing raid on Leipzig requiring repair. The roof of the church above the gothic rib vaulted ceiling is one of the steepest in Germany, with a roof pitch of 63 degrees. After the destruction of the Leipzig Johanneskirche in World War II, the remains of Johann Sebastian Bach were moved from there to the Thomaskirche in 1950. The current altar, installed in 1993, is the former Gothic altar of the Paulinerkirche, the university church of the University of Leipzig, destroyed in 1968 by the Communist authorities.
A statue of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, who lived in Leipzig from 1835 until his death in 1847, was dedicated on October 18, 2008 when it was re-erected across the St. Thomas Church on the occasion of the year of his 200th birthday. The 6 meter (nearly 20 ft.) statue depicts the former Gewandhaus Orchestra director and composer in bronze. Celebratory speeches were given by Kurt Masur, also a former Gewandhaus Orchestra director, and Burkhard Jung, mayor of Leipzig. The original statue designed by Werner Stein was first dedicated on May 26, 1892. It had been located on the east side of the Gewandhaus until November 9, 1936 when it was taken down by the National Socialists (Nazis) because of the composer’s Jewish background.
The Thomanerchor, the choir of the Thomaskirche, was founded in 1212 and is one of the oldest and most famous boys' choirs in Germany. It is headed by the Thomaskantor, an office that has been held by many well-known composers and musicians, including Johann Sebastian Bach from 1723 until his death in 1750.
Another notable feature of the Thomaskirche is that it contains two organs. The older one is a Romantic organ by Wilhelm Sauer, built from 1885–89. Since this organ is considered "unsuitable" for Bach's music, a second organ was built by Gerald Woehl's organ building company from 1999–2000. This "Bach organ" was designed to look similar to the old organ on which Bach had played in the Paulinerkirche.

The Falcon Choirs Visit Leipzig on April 8

On their way to Berlin, the Falcon Choirs are going to stop in Leipzig on Thursday, April 8.
Leipzig is, with a population of 515,459, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony and in the New states of Germany. It was after East Berlin the largest city in East Germany before German reunification.
Johann Sebastian Bach worked in Leipzig from 1723 to 1750, at the St. Thomas Lutheran church, and Richard Wagner the composer was born in Leipzig in 1813, in the Brühl. Robert Schumann was also active in Leipzig music, having been invited by Felix Mendelssohn when the latter established Germany's first musical conservatoire in the city in 1843. Gustav Mahler was second conductor (working under Artur Nikisch) at the Leipzig Theater from June 1886 until May 1888, and achieved his first great recognition while there by completing and publishing Carl Maria von Weber's opera "Die Drei Pintos", and Mahler also completed his own 1st Symphony while living there.

Falcon Choirs Tour Photo Album

The Tour Thus Far

With more than half of our tour over with, I realize this is an odd time to start blogging, but due to various technical difficulties I haven’t been able to blog until now. So instead of completely skipping the all of the previous days I figure I’ll do a bit of a summary of how everything has been going.

First of all, this trip has been a very humbling experience for me. With each new city that we stop in I don’t know which streets lead where, where the restaurants are, how to get to the shopping center, how to get to the pharmacy or drug store if I need to pick something up, etc. I’ll admit I even struggled with the TV the first night because let me just say I was not taught how to read a German TV menu in school. Back at home I’m so used to knowing how to get anything I need and get wherever I need to go, so it has definitely been interesting.

So far we’ve sung in some absolutely incredible and indescribable places that have blown away any expectation I had prior to coming on this tour. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such massive and ornate buildings ever before. Today we even had the privilege of singing in the church where Bach had his first full-time gig and the church where he got married. And although we didn’t get to sing in it, we visited a church that was built in 1270 in a town that has been around since the late 700s. Now there’s some history for you. We also visited Rothenburg, one of the most important German cities during Medieval times, which still has its original town walls standing and intact enough to walk on and explore.

This has definitely been one of the most educational experiences of my life. The significance of the history of all of the places we have been seeing is difficult to comprehend, but everything starts to come into perspective when an elderly German couple comes up to you after a concert, holding back tears, and says, “what you all have is a gift from God. Cherish your voices and don’t ever let them go. Thank you so much.”

If Bach is listening, I hope he likes what he hears.

-Cody Chase

more pictures at www.codyshoots.blogspot.com

Germany Day 7

Hello again everyone. I have to write quickly because our curfew is in only a couple minutes, but i wanted to let you know what happened today. Today we went to the city that Bach first worked in. He was an accompanist in a beautiful church, which we sang a couple songs in. Then we went to the church that Bach actually got married in. We had a full concert for a HUGE audience. The tiny church was packed. The audience was so appreciative, they really enjoyed our preformance. I love German audiences. Our preformance went great, and then we had a reception with the Bach historical society. It was a long drive to and from where we were preforming, but it wasn't so bad. The drive was absolutly beautiful. We went through a beautiful coutryside. It was the second most beautiful drive yet. (The one to the castle a couple days ago was the most beautiful. Right by the Alps.) We're staying at the same place tomight and are leaving tomorrow for Berlin. It'll be our last long drive of the trip. It's strange, time really does fly when you're having fun. :)

<3 Annie Lawler

Days 5 and 6 in Germany

Hello. Annie Lawler here again. The last hotel we stayed at didn't have internet, so I'll have to fill you all in on the last couple days. :) . On mondy we left Munich bright and early for our long day of driving. Our first stop, after a couple hours on the bus, was Neuschwanstein, the castle disney modeled their castle after. It was beautiful on the outside and even better on the inside. And as if walking up to this magestic castle wasn't enough of a magical experiance, it started to snow as we got close to it. It was perfect and magical. We toured the castle, and unfortunatly wern't allowed to take pictures inside the castle, so parents, you'll just have to visit it yourselves to see it. :). Then it was back on the bus to get to a beautiful church in Steingaden. We preformed in our casual/nice attire to a small audience at first, but one that kept growing as the concert progressed. We spent only a few minutes at the church after that because we had to move out once again in order to make it to Rottenburg on time for our night tour of the midevil city. We were picked up at out hotel by someone dressed as the 'night watchman' that the old city would have had. We walked around and he told us stories and facts. It was a great day.

Then it was Tuesday. We had the whole morning to run around Rottenburg and do what we pleased. Many of u tried a 'snowball'. They are a Rottenburg specialty that's bacically doughnut batter fried and put into the shape of a ball before being dippen in chocolate. There was also one of the largest christmas stores in the world in that small town, and the midevil crime museum. There was so much to do and see, no one wanted to leave, but we had to go on to our next destination. Chemnitz. After 4 long hours on the bus, we finally arived with just enough time to change into our concert dress and run off to the church where we were preforming. The concert had over 100 people in attendance! And it wass absolutly beautiful. We performed very well and were all very happy with how the concert went. We're all beginning to feel the tour catching up with us, and are quite tired this morning, but we're all looking forward to the days events. Today we'll see where Bach grew up and lived his life. It'll be a great day

<3 Annie Lawler

Special Highlight Concert: St. Bartholomäus Church, April 7 at 3 pm (Bach's wedding church)

The Falcon Choirs under the direction of Mrs. Tammi Alderman are going to perform on Wednesday, April 7, at 3:00 pm at the St. Bartholomäus church in Dornheim.
St. Bartholomäus was built in the middle of the 12th century. In this church, composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) married his first wife Maria Barbara Bach in 1707. After extensive restoration the church was opened again in 1999. To visitors this place seems very homey. With the deeply down-pulled red roof and the pictorial stairway this church has a special attraction. Moreover the beautiful bell tower and the dormer windows take away the severity that churches sometimes radiate. St. Bartholomäus today represents a gem because of its baroque interior.

Picture origin: http://www.bach-in-dornheim.de/die-traukirche/

Falcon Choirs Chemnitz concert videos

First impressions from Chemnitz before the highlight concert

 

 

 

 

Becca to the rescue

The Falcon Choirs perform at the Church St. Markus in Chemnitz on April 6 at 7.30 PM

After a night in Rothenburg, the Falcon Choirs are visiting Chemnitz today! In the evening they get ready for the performance at the St. Markuskirche at 7.30 pm.
The protestant Markuskirche was built between 1893 and 1895 in the style of the North German brick gothic. The most remarkable part of the building is the tower with two spires, which is 84 meters (275 ft) high. You can see it from very far away! The colored glass windows are still in the original condition. The organ originates from organ builder Jehmlich from Dresden. The church has room for 900 visitors. In 1934/35 and 1991 the church was renovated and re-opened in its recent beauty in 2000. The picture is from the website of the church.

The Falcon Choirs Visit Chemnitz on April 6 & 7

Chemnitz, more than 800 years old, is situated in the heart of Saxony. The city is the third-largest in the new Federal States; about 245,000 people live here. More than 10,000 young people study at the University of Technology Chemnitz.
Fascinating architecture reflects the changing times and spirit of those things which have shaped the city: industrial monuments, redeveloped Gründerzeit residential quarters such as Kassberg, the Schocken department store, Villa Esche or the city centre, which has been completely modified since Re-unification, constructed by Helmut Jahn, Hans Kollhoff and Christoph Ingenhoven, bridge the gap from yesterday to today and tomorrow. The city alone has invested more than 50 million Euros in the new city centre, investors more than 500 million Euros. Just as famous is the 7.10-metres-high Karl-Marx bust made of bronze by Lew Kerbel in 1971, locally known as "Nischel" (head).
Probably no other city in Germany fits the description "City of Modernity" quite so well as Chemnitz does. Developed at the time of Classical Modernism, which still gives impetus to the development of business and science, the influences of the cultural and architectural Modernism are visible and perceptible.

Falcon Choirs second Germany Tour performance on Easter Monday in Steingaden

The Falcon Choirs are going to perform at the lovely Wieskirche in Steingaden, next to the castle Neuschwanstein on Easter Monday at 2:00 PM.


Something out of the ordinary, from many points of view, took place here. Human tears, an age-old phenomenon, were the spiritual building stones, the precious pearls from which the Wieskirche, a world famous rococo jewel, was created. In the 18th Century the Wieskirche was already known throughout Europe as a place of reverence for the Scourged Saviour, and at the same time a famous gem of baroque architecture.
Even today the church lives from both these wellsprings: its spiritual and artistic richness. Thus, the Wieskirche continues as a pilgrimage church, a place of prayer and worship, and is simultaneously a magical drawing point for millions of visitors. Through their encounter with this joyous Baroque, full of life and hope, they sense a world which moved the writer Peter Dörfler, in the first half of this century, to write: "The Wies is a bit of heaven in this suffering world."
Have a closer look at this venue on the web page of the church. The picture is from the official website.

From Falcon Tour Blogger Annie Lawer: Amazing Day in Munich!

Hello again everyone. Our 2nd full day in Germany was just as amazing and busy as the first! Although today was a little more gloomy than yesterday. It was raining most of the afternoon. The morning was very nice though, made even better by an amazing preformance at St. Lucas Church. We preformed at the easter service and then had a short concert. The service was beautiful and an amazing cultural experience. And the concert was well attended, and we sounded AMAZING in the cathedral space. It was amazing to sing in there. Later that day we went to the BMW museum for lunch and then to Osterfest (the easter festival in Munich) where most of us went up in the Olympiaturm. The Olympiaturm was a tall tower very similar to the space needle in Seatle, but even taller! The view from the top was amazing. You could see for miles! The Osterfest took place on the grounds where the olympics took place in the 70's. It's really ana fantastic place. The stadium and the pool are completley covered with fiberglass structures that were absolutly beautiful. After leaving the Osterfest we went to the "Typically Munich" museum, which had tons to see. History from every side. There was fashion, art, musical instruments, puppets, statues, models, weapons, pictures, and so much more from all throughuut Munich's history. There was hardly enough time to see everything, but our busy schedule called and we had to run off to dinner at the Hofbräuhaus, one of Germanys most famous beer halls. Don't worry though parents, anyone in our group under 21 couldn't have anything but water to drink :). We had another typical bavarian style dinner while listening to live music and watching live dance shows. It was an amazing end to an amazing last day in Munich. Tomorrow we pick up again and move to Rothenburg. These last two days have been super busy, and even though we're all having a blast I'm sure I'm not just speaking for myself when I say that I'm looking forward to the downtime the drive will give us.
-Annie Lawler

First impressions from the Falcon Choirs first Germany Tour Performance in Munich

Here are some pictures taken during the rehearsal for the Falcon Choir's guest performance during Easter Sunday Service at the beautiful Lukaskirche in Munich taken by Incantato Concert Management Trainee Anna Peter who met the group at the venue.

Falcon Choirs first Germany Tour performance on Easter Sunday in Munich

The Falcon Choirs under the direction of Mrs. Tammi Alderman are the featured guest choir for the Easter Sunday morning service at the beautiful Sankt Lukaskirche (Church of St. Luke) located in the heart of Munich. The impressive church was built from 1893 through 1896 in the "Historismus"-style.
This is the first performance of the 2010 Incantato Tour to Germany. The special and very festive Easter celebration service begins at 10 am and is scheduled to last until 11.15 am. After participating in the service, the Falcon Choirs are presenting a short matinee concert.
For more information on the church, visit the website and the map on the left shows you where the church is located.

Here is the official announcement from the church website:

Gottesdienst mit Abendmahl (mit Chor aus USA: Falcon Choir of Crescenta Valley High School)
Sonntag, 4.04. 10.00 Uhr
Ort	Lukaskirche Mariannenplatz 3 80538 München

From Falcon Tour Blogger Annie Lawer: 1st full day in Germany!

Hey everyone! This is Annie Lawler (a senior at CV) writing you from Germany! That's right, we made it safe and sound, and had an excellent first day here. The flight over was quite smooth and was filled with entertainment :). We each had a personal screen in the seat back in front of us so we could watch a huge selection of movies and TV shows or even listen to the CD's they provided. We landed nearly an hour ahead of schedule and on the way to the hotel enjoyed a short tour of Munich. Later that night we had an amazing Bavarian dinner at the hotel before knocking out for the night ... or most of it at least. Most of us experienced a not so wanted case of waking up at 3 in the morning unable to fall back asleep for at least an hour. I'm looking forward to tonight when we'll all really get some sleep. Today we went on a real tour of Munich, seeing the grounds where they held the olympics in the 70's, the english gardens, and the glokenspiel. We then had the afternoon completley to ourselves to do whatever we wanted. Most people ended up going into a few of the magnificently ornate churches and at least one museum. There was so much to do, on so little sleep it was a little overwelming. At 6 we got back together for dinner at the Augustiner. We all had an amazing day and are really looking forward to tomorrow when we'll have our first preformance at St. Lucas cathedral. Hoping to figure out this crazy keyboard and how to put pictures up soon, I'll write more tomorrow after a good long night of sleep.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Annie :)

Falcon Choirs landed safe, sound and even early in Munich

Just a quick update on the Falcon Choirs' arrival in Germany. The singers under the direction of Mrs. Tammi Alderman and their families landed safe, sound and even 45 minutes early at Munich airport, where Incantato Tour Manager Barbara Holl welcomed them to Germany. The group transfered to their tour hotel and enjoyed the first Bavarian dinner. Now they are up and ready for a full day of exploring Munich with local guide. More updates will follow later.

The Falcon Choirs Concert Announcements on (German) Websites

Dear travelers of the Falcon Choirs,
We are proud to tell you that we got your concerts already announced on several (German) websites:

• About all your concerts on The Singer Link
• About your Chemnitz performance on www.sourcews.de
• About your Chemnitz performance on www.chemnitz.de
• About your Chemnitz performance on www.meinestadt.de
  
• About your Dornheim/Arnstadt performance on www.otz.de
• About your Dornheim/Arnstadt performance on www.meinestadt.de
  
• About your Berlin performance on www.meinestadt.de

At least two meals and two movies - Welcome aboard Lufthansa

The Falcon Choirs Tour is about to take off on Incantato's preferred airline: Lufthansa.
And lucky travelers they are as the 52 members of the 2010 La Crescenta HS Germany Performance Tour, are heading non-stop on the German airline to Munich. While we recommend that you do get some sleep on the transatlantic overnight flight, you are in for several treats such as hot towels to refresh yourself shortly after take-off, at least two warm meals served with salad and dessert plus two or more recent movies. For more information on the on-board experience, visit Lufthansa's website.

The Falcon Choirs Itinerary Update for April 9 & 10

Dear members of the Falcon Choirs,
There are just a few hours left until your flight to Munich departs. Incantato Tours wishes you a safe and relaxing flight to Europe! For your days in Berlin, April 9 and 10, we just confirmed some more activities. Check out the schedule for your time in the German capital:

Day 9, Friday, April 9
After breakfast you go on a guided city tour to see the famous sights in Berlin. Later you enjoy an afternoon at leisure under the guidance of your tour manager. Then get ready for the finale highlight concert at the Gedächtniskirche. The evening ends with a Curry-Wurst or Döner Dinner prior to your return to the hotel.

Day 10, Saturday, April 10
After a late breakfast you will enjoy a guided tour of the Jüdisches Museum (Jewish Museum) which is going to be a combined visit and workshop “Survival through Music”! After a light lunch, under the guidance of your tour manager, we recommend you visit nearby Kreuzberg, Bergmannstraße. At 3:30 pm the coach drives to the East Side Gallery (longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall). Your farewell dinner takes place at the Umspannwerk Ost. The day ends with a Berlin by night panorama drive via Potsdamer Platz, Reichstag, Unter den Linden and back to your hotel.

Incantato Lunch at the Oldest Wheat Beer Brewery on April 7

The Stadtbrauerei (city brewery) of Arnstadt, the oldest wheat beer brewery in Germany, welcomes the Falcon Choirs on April 7 for Lunch. In 1438 the city established the first brewery in Arnstadt. The Felsenkeller brewery was built in 1866 on this site. 1997 the current building was re-opened after a mayor renovation. The Falcon Choirs will enjoy the „Brauhauslunch“ during their visit, which includes Schnitzel, peas and french fries. Bon appetit!

Meet the Bloggers: Cody and Annie

Dear Singers, Family and Friends of the Falcon Choirs, we sure hope you enjoy the blog and recommend that you become a follower by clicking on the respective option in the right side bar of this webpage. As a follower, you will never miss an update and once the groups heads over to Germany there should be lots of news coming your way. For the Falcon Choirs the students Annie Lawler and Cody Chase are going to blog about their experience abroad and upload pictures and videos during their time in Europe.

Cody Chase is a senior at Crescenta Valley High School. "I'm really excited about this opportunity to go to Germany and tour so many cities and sing in so many amazing venues. I have taken two years of German during my sophomore and junior years of high school and I can't wait to put everything I've learned to use and see in person what I've seen so much of in my text books", he tells. He is also an aspiring photographer and designer and has kept up a blog of his own in the past so he sees this as a perfect opportunity to take amazing pictures that he will be sharing on this blog and use to build his portfolio. Cody: "Germany offers so many different sights and experiences that you just can't get here in the States and I cannot wait to capture them. I hope you enjoy following this blog as much as I'll enjoy posting on it!"

Your Personal Incantato Weather Forecast for Munich

As the Falcon Choirs Tour to Germany will start on Thursday, Incantato Tours had a look at the weather forecast. On Friday, April 2, Munich will welcome you with a mostly sunny sky. The highest temperature will be around 55° F. Some clouds will show up on Saturday, but you'll catch a glimpse of the sun every now and then (61° F).

Falcon Choir 2010 Germany Tour Concert Poster Chemnitz, Arnstadt & Berlin

Falcon Choirs Itinerary Update

Dear Travellers,
Incantato Tours proudly presents the new itinerary for the Falcon Choirs. There are just a few days left till your tour starts. Enjoy!

DAY 1 Thursday, April 1
Overnight flight to Germany

DAY 2 Friday, April 2
Willkommen in München
Evening arrival in Munich after a nonstop flight. Meet your Incantato tourmanager and drive to your hotel for a welcome dinner and overnight.

DAY 3 Saturday, April 3
Munich in-depth
Visit the capital city of Bavaria with a stop at the famous Marienplatz to see and hear the Glockenspiel. Experience the Easter market. Enjoy dinner at the Augustiner Restaurant.

DAY 4 Sunday, April 4
Easter Sunday: Church Service and Matinee Concert in Munich
You are the featured guest choir for the Easter Sunday morning service at the beautiful Sankt Lukaskirche (Church of St. Luke) located in the heart of Munich. The church was built from 1893 through 1896 in the "Historismus"-style. In the afternoon you'll have leisure under the guidance of your tour manager. The day ends with a traditional Bavarian dinner at the Munich Hofbräuhaus.

DAY 5 Monday, April 5
Castle & (K)Night Walk
First stop today will be the beautiful baroque Pilgrimage Church Wieskirche (recital) prior to hiking up to the fairy tale castle of King Ludwig II. of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein. After the visit, continue to the walled town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. After dinner, a night walk awaits the choir and guests.

DAY 6 Tuesday, April 6
Morning in Rothenburg & Concert in Chemnitz
Experience Rothenburg and learn more about its rich history, then travel to Chemnitz. At 7.30 pm your first formal concert starts at the Markuskirche. After dinner at the hotel restaurant you spent the night in Chemnitz.

DAY 7 Wednesday, April 7
In Bach‘s Footsteps - Concert
Explore Arnstadt with a special emphasize on Johann Sebastian Bach and have lunch at the local brewery. Then prepare for your highlight concert at the wedding church of J.S. Bach. Followed by a special reception with coffee and cake hosted by the Bachverein.

DAY 8 Thursday, April 8
Via Leipzig to Berlin
Continue on the Bach route and visit the Thomaskirche in Leipzig for a recital, then head to the capital city of the reunited Germany.

DAY 9 Friday, April 9
Berlin in-depth - Concert
Your sightseeing tour features many highlights starting with the Reichstag, the remains of the Berlin Wall, Charlottenburg Castle etc. Afternoon at leisure for museum visits and shopping, then prepare for your third formal concert - at the famous Gedächtniskirche.

DAY 10 Saturday, April 10
Leisure Day in Berlin

Leisure day with activities yet to be determined. Your tourmanager and your coach will be at your full disposal.

DAY 11 Sunday, April 11
Departure
Return flight to the US.