Day 1 – Wednesday, May 15, 2013

• 2:30pm – Load motorcoach for airport transfer
• 3:00pm – Depart from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Fine Arts Center
• 5:30pm – Check-in at Boston Logan International Airport
• 8:20pm – Depart Boston via Lufthansa Arilines flight #425

 

Day 2 – Thursday, May 16 Munich

• 9:45am – Arrive in Munich
• Meet your MCI Tour Manager who will assist the group to awaiting chartered motorcoach for a transfer into city center for lunch on own and time at leisure in the Marienplatz (with its famous Glockenspiel)
• Late afternoon check-in to Hotel Ibis s München City West
• 7:00pm– Evening Welcome Dinner at hotel and overnight

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

 

Day 3 – Friday, May 17 Munich

• 7:30am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 8:30am – Morning tour of the Nymphenburg Palace. the former summer residence of the Bavarian sovereigns. Begun in 1664 in the style of an Italian palazzo but now with centuries of enhancements, it now bears a strong resemblance to Versailles Palace.
• 11:00am – Listen to Glockenspiel
• 12:10pm – Sing an informal recital at the Frauenkirche as part of the American Celebration of Music in Germany
• Lunch on own
• Afternoon at leisure for sightseeing, shopping or other planned activities
• Evening dinner on own
• 6:30pm – Arrive at Erlöserkirche for set-up and rehearsal
• 7:30pm – Change into concert attire
• 8:00pm – Concert in the Erlöserkirche in Erding as part of the American Celebration of Music in Germany
• Return to hotel  for overnight

 

Day 4 – Saturday, May 18 Munich / Neuschwanstein

• 7:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 8:00pm – Transfer to Hohenschwangau
• Tour the Neuschwanstein Castle (made famous by the Walt Disney model in Anaheim), built by the infamous Ludwig II (including entrance and uphill transport).
• Lunch on own
• 3:15pm – Continue to Wies Church in Steingaden
• 4:00pm – Guided tour of Wies Church
• 4:30pm – Sing a short recital in Wieskirche
• Return to Munich
• Evening dinner at hotel, followed by overnight

 

Day 5 – Sunday, May 19 Munich / Salzburg

• 7:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 8:00am – Transfer to Salzburg
• Lunch on own
• 12:00pm – Enjoy a guided tour of Salzburg including Mirabel Palace and Gardens, Mozart Square, the Dom Cathedral, University Church, and a cable car ride up to the Fortress (for an unparalleled view of the city below)
• $:15pm – Excursion to St. Gilgen
• 5:00pm – Set up and rehearse at Mozarthaus
• 6:30pm – Dinner at Fischerwirt
• 7:30pm – Warm-up and change for performance
• 8:00pm – 9:00pm – Concert in the Mozarthaus in St. Gilgen as part of the American Celebration of Music in Austria
• Evening check in at Salzburg West for overnight

West 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, leave memories which linger for years

 

Day 6 – Monday, May 20 Salzburg

• 8:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• Full day at leisure for sightseeing, shopping or other activities
• Lunch and dinner on own
• Return to hotel for overnight

 

Day 7 – Tuesday, May 21 Salzburg / Melk / Vienna

• 7:15am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 8:15am – Transfer to Vienna via Melk to visit the Abbey
• 9:00am – Tour the Basilica St. Michael
• Continue to Melk
• 12:15pm – Tour of the Melk Abbey
• 1:10pm – Sing a short recital in the Abbey Church
• Lunch on own
• Continue to Vienna for late afternoon check in at the at Eventhotel Pyramide
• Evening dinner at hotel, followed by 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 ways have changed, Vienna has retained its imperial monuments as living symbols of its present freedom

 

Day 8 – Wednesday, May 22 Vienna

• 7:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 8:00am – Half-day guided tour of Historical Vienna includes the Ringstráße, Imperial Palace, State Opera, Town Hall, Burgkapelle (venue for the Vienna Boys Choir), Palace Stables, Strauß Monument and Schönbrunn Palace
• 11:00am – Arrive at St. Stephen Cathedral for warm-up and rehearsal
• 12:00pm – 1:30pm – Sing/participate in Mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, followed by a concert as part of the American Celebration of Music in Austria
• Lunch on own
• Afternoon at leisure for sightseeing, shopping or other activities
• 6:00pm – Evening dinner at the home of Dr. Jutta Unkart-Seifert
• Return to hotel for overnight

 

Day 9 – Thursday, May 23 Vienna

• 8:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 9:00am – Half-day guided tour of Musical Vienna includes entrance to the Haus der Musik (House of Music), a modern interactive sound museum located in the historic city center. This tour also includes the Museum of the Vienna Philharmonic, which is part of the House of Music
• Lunch on own
• Afternoon at leisure for sightseeing, shopping, or other activities
• Evening dinner on own
• Return to hotel for overnight

 

Day 10 – Friday, May 24 Vienna / Prague

• 8:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 9:00am – Mid-morning transfer to Prague. En route, stop at Vienna’s Central Cemetery to visit the grave sites of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Strauß, and to see the Mozart Memorial
• Lunch on own
• Upon arrival in Prague, enjoy an orientation tour including Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with its Tyn Church and Astronomical Clock, the Jewish Quarter, etc
• Late afternoon check in at Hotel Expo
• 7:00pm – Evening dinner at hotel, followed by overnight

Prague achieved much of its present glory in the 14th century, during the long reign of Charles IV. During the Middle Ages, Prague enjoyed a golden age – a time when Prague was larger than Paris or London! The Hapsburgs also left their artistic and architectural mark. Today, Prague is universally declared one of the most beautiful cities in Europe

 

Day 11 – Saturday, May 25 Prague

• 8:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• Day at leisure for additional sightseeing, shopping, museum visits or other planned activities
• Lunch on own
• Evening dinner on own
• Return to hotel for overnight

 

Day 12 – Sunday, May 26 Prague

• 8:00am – Full American buffet breakfast at the hotel
• 8:30am – Half-day guided tour of Prague that includes visiting Hradcany Castle, including its St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, the Golden Lane, and the Daliborka Tower. Constructed in the 9th century by Prince Bo?ivoj, the castle transformed itself from a wooden fortress surrounded by earthen bulwarks to the imposing form it has today
• 10:00am – Tour of Lobkowicz Palace
• 11:30am – Sing a short recital in Lobkowicz Palace
• Lunch on own
• 3:30pm – Arrive at Na Marjance for set-up and rehearsal
• 5:00pm – Concert in Na Marjance Hall
• 6:30pm – Evening Farewell Dinner at Restaurant Vikarska
• Return to hotel for overnight

 

Day 13 – Monday, May 27 Depart for home

• 6:45am – Boxed breakfast picked up at the hotel following check-out
• 7:00am – Transfer to Prague’s International Airport for return flight
• 10:00am – Depart Prague via Lufthansa Airlines flight #1393
• 11:15am – Arrive in Frankfurt
• 12:10pm – Depart Frankfurt viz Lufthansa Airlines flight #422
• 1:55pm – Arrive in Boston