Saturday June 17, 2006
Departure via scheduled airline service to Munich, Germany. Enjoy full meal/beverage service and in-flight entertainment during this trans-Atlantic flight.

Sunday June 18, 2006 Munich
Munich airport arrival assistance. Meet MCI European staff who assist the group to the awaiting chartered motorcoaches for a transfer to the Munich hotel. En route, visit Dachau, the former Nazi concentration camp. Continue to Munich with a panoramic introductory tour. Afternoon hotel check-in. Dinner in the hotel.

Munich, the Bavarian capital is ideally located in southern Germany near the Alps. It is a first-class cultural center and the most flourishing economic zone in the southern part of the country. Munich's cultural wealth, its special atmosphere - a blend of gaiety, tolerance and respect for tradition - and the beauty of the surrounding countryside have combined to make it one of the most appreciated of German cities.

Monday June 19, 2006 Munich
Enjoy a half-day guided tour of Munich including the Marienplatz (Glockenspiel), Frauenkirche, Hofbräuhaus (best known of all German beer halls), the English Gardens, and entrance to Nymphenburg Palace, once the summer residence of the Bavarian royalty.

Tuesday June 20, 2006 Salzburg
Transfer to Salzburg via Fußen. Enjoy a guided tour of Neuschwanstein Castle (made famous by the Walt Disney model in Anaheim), built by the infamous Ludwig II, Oberammergau (site of the famous Passion Play) and the Wieskirche before continuing onto Salzburg. Chorus members and non-singing participants gather for the Welcome Dinner with introductions, a brief orientation and folk entertainment.

Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, is a delight from the first sight of the outline of the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the symbol of the power of the prince-archbishops. The city’s picturesque streets with their wrought-iron signs, its spacious squares with sculptured fountains and the noble architecture of its buildings inspired by bishops with a passion for construction, leave memories which linger for years.

Wednesday June 21, 2006 Salzburg
Morning massed rehearsal. Afternoon guided tour of Salzburg including Mirabel Palace & Gardens, Mozart Square, the Dom (Cathedral), University Church, the Mozarthaus (birthplace) and a cable car ride up to the Fortress (for an unparalleled view of the city below). Dinner in the hotel. Evening massed rehearsal.





Thursday June 22, 2006 Salzburg
Morning excursion to the Salt Mines in Hallein. The tour entails a walk through underground galleries, with a presentation in a cave showing the different techniques used in the extraction of salt and the descent on slides (toboggans). Also visit the parish church, the home and tomb of Franz-Xaver Gruber, the composer of the famous carol "Silent Night, Holy Night". Afternoon massed rehearsal. Dinner in the hotel. Evening massed rehearsal.



Friday June 23, 2006 Salzburg
Morning tour to see Schloß Leopoldskron and to visit Hellbrunn Schloß, with entrance to the castle itself and the trick fountains. Both of these castles were prominently used in the movie "The Sound of Music"). Afternoon at leisure. Dinner in the hotel. Evening Festival Concert. Post-concert reception for all singers and accompanying entourage.

Saturday June 24, 2006 Vienna
Transfer to Vienna via Mondsee (church was site of "The Sound of Music" wedding), Melk (with entrance to the world-famous Abbey and possible recital), and Dürnstein (Richard the LionHeart was imprisoned here). Check-in to Vienna hotel for dinner and overnight.

Vienna is still considered the music capital of the world. It is a city of refined tastes, grace, style and unmatched artistic accomplishments. For a thousand years, Vienna was the capital of the far-flung Holy Roman and Hapsburg empires. Though its people and ways have changed, Vienna has retained its imperial monuments, not as reminders of past glories, but as living symbols of its present freedom.

Sunday June 25, 2006 Vienna
A morning guided tour of Historical Vienna, includes the Ringstraße, Parliament Building, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Kärtnerstraße, the State Opera, Rathaus, Stadtpark (to see the Strauß Statue) and entrance to Schönbrunn, the magnificent Palace built by the Hapsburgs in imitation of Versailles. Afternoon massed rehearsal in venue. Dinner in the hotel. Evening Festival Concert. Post-concert reception for all singers and accompanying entourage.



Monday June 26, 2006 Depart for the USA
Transfer to Vienna airport for return flights to the USA. Arrive home in the evening of the same day.