St. Mary’s Church of Ireland is the Occidental College Glee Club venue today, Friday, May 21 at 8 pm:
St. Mary’s Church of Ireland in Killarney is a Roman Catholic cathedral in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. The diocese of Kerry, or Ardfert and Ahadoe as it is sometimes called, was ruled by vicars apostolic from the mid-16th century until the early 18th century, with the exception of a brief few years in the 1640s. The 18th century Bishops of Kerry resided at Dingle, Kilcummin, Tuogh, Listowel and Tralee, from 1720 until 1775. In the latter years Bishop Francis Moylan (1775-87) established the see at Killarney.
Before the construction of Killarney cathedral there was a small chapel in Chapel Lane, of which the font survives in the baptistery of the present cathedral. The idea of building a cathedral was started by Fr. Joseph O'Sullivan, curate of Dingle, who roused the enthusiasm of Bishop Cornelius Egan (1824-1856) and the 2nd Earl of Kenmare (1788-1853), a local Catholic landowner.
The Cliffs of Moher are located in the parish of Liscannor at the south-western edge of the Burren area near Doolin, which is located in County Clare, Ireland. The Cliffs are currently one of the 28 finalists for The New-7-Wonders of Nature. The cliffs rise 120 meters (394 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres away. The cliffs have one of Ireland's most spectacular views. On a clear day, the Aran Islands are visible in Galway Bay, as are the valleys and hills of Connemara. O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower at the approximate midpoint of the cliffs. It was built by Sir Cornelius O'Brien, a descendant of Ireland's High King Brian Boru, in order to impress female visitors. From atop that watchtower, one can view the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, the Maum Turk Mountains and the Twelve Pins to the north in Connemara, and Loop Head to the south.
The Occidental Glee Club travelers are having a blast in Ireland. The concert at the Franciscan Abbey was a hit last night and the singers received a standing ovation! Some hours before, there was another big crowd as well at the Gothic Church at Kylemore Abbey for their performance. After the concert last night, the group decided to take on the city of Galway with the locals and, from what we understand, had a smashing good time!
Tonight, May 20, the Occidental College Glee Club will meet some new friends! At the Incantato Galway concert venue, the Franciscan Abbey, they are going to perform together with the Galway Gospel Choir and the Choriaaros from Norway.
Here is what the Choriaaros tell about themselves:
"Aaros is a small village in the kommune of Røyken. Røyken lies about 40 kilometres west of Oslo. Choriaaros means choir in Aaros – which is what we are! We are a mixed choir with about 35 members. Our ages range from 27 years old to 70 years old – two thirds women and one third men! Of course we all love singing together but we also have a lot of fun together. Most of our members have been in the choir for many years, some since the choir started in 1993. We practise every Tuesday from 18.50 to 21.30 at the local school. In addition to our weekly practises we have two seminars every year where we invite a song pedagogue to instruct us.
We have a wide repertoire and enjoy singing a variety of songs, from musicals and pop to classical and folk music. Our choir enjoys working towards a goal, be it a Christmas concert or a bigger venture like a musical. Choriaaros has performed two musicals in the nearby town of Drammen – Les Miserable’s in 1999 and Fiddler on the Roof in 2004. We have also had exciting ventures such as a New Years concert with a local symphony orchestra and another choir, and a carol concert with a local brass band. Most of our concerts are performed locally and we often use the local churches or the village hall as venues. The annual Christmas concert in the old wooden church in Aaros has become a tradition. In 2008 our choirmaster of many years left us. In his place came Ragnar Elverhoey, a former member of the choir. Ragnar’s laid back attitude, sense of humour and enthusiasm has given the choir a new lease of life. At the moment we are rehearsing for a Gershwin concert that is planned for October 2010. Needless to say the syncopated rhythms and the fast Americans lyrics are a challenge, but with Ragnar at the helm we are going to give it a go!"
For more information, visit their website (IN NORWEGIAN).
The Galway Gospel Choir is composed of at least 60 vocalists of varying occupation and background from in and around Galway, Ireland. The choir was formed in 2001 and has slowly grown to be recognized in Ireland. Click here to go to their website.
The travellers of the Occidental College Glee Club are getting ready for their exchange concert in Galyway tonight at 7.30 pm:
The Franciscan Abbey was founded in 1296. In 1483 a school of advanced theology was instituted there. About 40 years later, Maurice O Fihely, archbishop of Tuam, was buried in the church. 1657 the friary was destroyed and the church was made into a court house (the present court house stands on the same site). In 1660 a church was erected on the present site. The only novitiate of which they have definite information was opened here in 1774. The church was rebuilt in 1781 and around 1836 the present chuch was opened; present friary was built or rebuilt in 1820, and renovated recently. The organ of the Abbey, Galway, is placed in the gallery at the back of the church, and is divided between two cases to avoid obscuring a large stained-glass window in the centre. The swell and pedal divisions are located in the left case (as seen from the church, facing the back) and the great in the right. The console is beside the left case, and faces sideways across the rather narrow gallery. The instrument has a pleasant, sweet sound with good definition and a fast, ready response from the action. The picture is from the official website of the Irish Franciscans.
Today, May 20, the Occidental College Glee Club under the direction of Desiree LaVertu travels to Kylemore Abbey and presents the first formal concert of their Incantato Ireland tour at noon. Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I. Originally called Kylemore Castle, it was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician from Manchester, England who was also MP for Galway County from 1871 to 1885. Architects were James Franklin Fuller and Ussher Roberts. After the death of his wife Margaret in 1875, Mitchell did not spend much time there. He and his wife are both buried in the small mausoleum near the church in the grounds of the abbey. A notable feature of the abbey is the neo-Gothic church, a miniature replica of Norwich Cathedral, made from local green Connemara marble. It was built between 1877 and 1881 and has a beautiful stained glass tracery window depicts the five graces; Fortitude, Faith, Charity, Hope and Chastity, and it is a center of reflection and prayer for many visitors.
The 2010 Occidental Glee Club Tour to Ireland is off to a good start as the group landed safe and sound in Dublin and with only a small delay in Shannon. Director Desiree LaVertu said: All is well! The surely tired bunch is heading to Galway next for check-in and a first orientation tour of the lively university town by Incantato Tourmanager Conor. After their first Irish meal, a special welcome dinner served at the hotel, the singers are invited to a local pub by member of the Galway Gospelchoir. Oxy Student Alison offered to send updates from abroad so look forward to her postings.
Dear Members of the 2010 Occidental Glee Club Tour to Ireland and especially everyone on the group flights via Chicago and Dublin to Shannon, we are sure glad that everything is looking good for your journey and wish you safe travels to the emerald isle. Incantato Tour Manager Conor Ellard will be welcoming everyone on Wednesday, May 19 on the Irish West Coast and then bring the group to Galway where a special surprise treat awaits Oxy. More soon : ) Your Incantato Tours Team
Based on the information currently available from aviation authorities throughout our network we do not expect volcanic ash related disruption to our schedule for Tuesday 18th May.
We will update customers via this website, via the broadcast media and through SMS messages should this position change.
It is not too late to get coverage for the upcoming Occidental Glee Club Ireland Tour 2010 and with the current ash cloud situation in Europe, Incantato Tours more than ever strongly recommends getting travel insurance for your journey. Not only are you covered medically should anything happen when traveling or interrupt your journey at any point, but with TravelGuard's policies, you also protect your investment should anything beyond our control (such as a volcano erruption or weather related situation) affect the trip.
Here is a direct line to purchase travel insurance online and can you do so with your credit cards and also select the option that is best for you.
In the meantime, have a look at the most comprehensive coverage option The Protect Assist Gold below.
Protect Assist (Gold) -
Comprehensive Travel Protection for the World Traveler
Trip Cancellation
Trip Interruption and Travel Delay
Emergency Medical and Emergency Medical Transportation
Baggage and Travel Document Protection
Baggage Delay and Lost Baggage Tracking
NEW - Cancel For Any Reason option now available
NEW - Cancel For Work Reasons option now available
NEW - Children age 17 and under covered at no additional cost
IMPROVED -Trip Cancellation limit increased to $100,000 (from $15,000),
IMPROVED - Trip Interruption coverage increased to 150% of Trip Cost
Comprehensive non-insurance travel services* automatically included with plan!With the ProtectAssist plan, every customer also has access to these valuable travel services when they travel:·Arrangements for last-minute flight changes·Hotel finder and reservations·Rental car reservations·Emergency medical assistance·BagTrak® -- lost baggage tracking·Pre-trip health and safety advisories·Live e-mail and phone messaging to family and friends·Cash transfers·Airport transportation·Golf course reservations·Event ticketing·Floral services·Identity Theft restoration Business Assistant* (available when Optional Cancel for Work Reasons coverage is purchased)
*Non-Insurance services are provided by AIG Travel Assist.
Eligibility
Citizenship: All Nationalities
Residency: United States New York, Oregon, and Washington residence please call to purchase
Some rider options are not available and other restrictions may apply
Destination: Worldwide
Ages: All Ages
Max Trip Length: 365 Days
Dear travelers of Occidental College Glee Club, Check out your Dublin concert announcement on the web! Your performance on May 25 at the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral is listed on the official Dublin Tourism website.
Dear travelers of the Occidental College Glee Club,
Your trip to Ireland is just around the corner! We had a look at the weather forecast for you: There is light rain in Galway with around 60°F during the next days. But when you are visiting the Cliffs of Moher on Friday, May 21, the sky will light up just in time and the sun is likely to shine.
Dear Readers of the Oxy Glee Club 2010 Ireland Tour. If you want to make sure you don't miss a post, then become a follower. There is a box in the right navigation of the blog that you can click to do so. Your email address (we are pretty sure it has to be a googleemail) will not be used for anything but updates about the Oxy Glee Club Incantato Tour.
“Dear Incantato, As you know, I’ve had the pleasure of being on five of your tours. Just when I think you can’t possibly top the previous tour, you do. Your attention to detail is remarkable. From departure to return everything is superbly planned – air and ground transportation, top-notch accommodations, food and most importantly, premier performance venues. You definitely deliver on your “boutique” commitment. As an educator, the most important aspect of an international tour is that my students return having had a life-changing experience. This has been the outcome every time I’ve been with your company. Equally important to me is that my guests also have an experience of a lifetime. Not only do you deliver on your commitment to making their experience extra special, you take extra care in understanding their individual needs. My guests rang my phone off the hook when we returned from Eastern Europe last year (yes, they still use phones!). To your potential clients who might read this, I want them to know that if they’ve ever considered taking an instrumental ensemble on an international tour, they’d be missing out on a fabulous opportunity if they didn’t contact Incantato to discuss the possibilities. My last two tours with Incantato included a choir and jazz ensemble. The sacred performance venues for the choir were everything history books have written about. The jazz venues were outstanding – some of the premier jazz clubs in Europe! The level of performance that my students rose to was off the charts – additional validation of my commitment to education and proof that an experience like this is a major game changer to every student musician. This combination tour was in many ways better than just a choir tour or just a jazz tour. It offered a lot of variety to display the diversity of our music department and provided the students a unique peer-to-peer support system, by being both performers and audience members. You did it again!!!” Richard Burchard, Composer (Gentry Music, Pavane Publishing, National Music Publishers, Hinshaw Music) and Educator (Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY)
“The trip was everything I hoped for and more. Everything promised was delivered. I realize that this tour gave you a number of challenges due to the low number of participants, but you always seemed to find a way to make things happen. I appreciate the positive ‘Can Do’ attitude. You showed what a tour company can do when it really cares about the quality of the performing venues and comfort and satisfaction of its clients.” Bruce Koliha, BelCanto Choir, Performance Tour to Central Europe 2010
“Our tour with Incatanto was unforgettable. They were able to not only secure for us the most popular and magnificent venues but also the hidden gems and special places only a company with passion and dedication can find. My Women’s Ensemble and Handbells (and even the parents) are still talking about the trip and all the wonderful memories. It has invigorated my program and I am deeply proud to have done business with Sandra and the entire team at Incantato.” Brian Dehn, Cornelia Connelly, Performance Tour to England and Ireland 2010
“Once again, thanks to you and all the Incantato team for the great tour you arranged for CIC this summer. I truly feel that Incantato delivered a lot for our money on this trip. All of the hotels were nice ones with good locations. What a great idea to give us a night in Vienna near the Prater! And the concert venues were varied and all beautiful. The dinner cruise on our last night was magical and we enjoyed the food, the company, and the views. Thanks for making this a part of our tour. You are so skillful in finding the unique, off the beaten path, towns and villages. These are some of the best memories.” Sue Klausmeyer, Carolina International Chorale, Performance Tour to Central Europe Summer 2010
"Dear Incantato-Team, the Choir of the Sound and I want to thank you for all you did to make our tour to Northern Italy so incredible. I’ve worked with many other tour companies, but this trip exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. The singers will remember their time in Italy the rest of their lives. To have had the opportunity to perform in those amazing cathedrals with large appreciative audiences was truly memorable. In reflecting on our trip this year, I realized that past tours that I had considered successful fell short when compared to the trip that you put together for us. Incantato provided a consistently high level of organization and personal attention both during the planning stages and on the trip. Other exceptional aspects of the tour were: - The right amount and high quality of the performances. Our concerts and masses were wonderful. - Outstanding tour managers that were a wonderful combination of knowledgeable, flexible, personable and fun! - Beautiful posters and flyers as well as superb advertising of the concerts that resulted in large audiences - Excellent pacing of the tour—thanks for anticipating when we would need some time to recover - The included activities were interesting and created a change of pace for the singers - Great meals, consistently. My vegetarians were very pleased also. - The choir manager and I are very appreciative of your personal attention to our questions during the planning stages of the trip. - Terrific bus drivers who made us feel safe and who enjoyed the group It was a pleasure to work with everyone at your organization and I would be happy to share my experience with Incantato with other potential clients." Judy Filibeck, Director "Choir of the Sound", Seattle, WA
"Having recently returned from a successful tour of Ireland, I can say without a doubt that this was my finest tour experience. I have used several different tours companies in my years of performance tours, and none have matched the attention to detail, the thoughtful planning, excellent venues & marketing, meal & hotels, and overall management by Incantato Tours. Their pricing was excellent, and when the US currency dropped, they did not raise any of our cost. I would recommend this company to anyone planning a tour, whether they are a large professional ensemble, or a small church choir." Nathan J. Kreitzer - Director of Choral Activities Santa Barbara City College, CA
"It was a true pleasure working with Sandra and Incantato on our Italy Tour 2008. She is very detail oriented and surpassed many of our expectations. I would recommend Incantato to anyone planning a concert or performance tour." Rick Christophersen, Director Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, Orange, CA
“My sincerest and deepest thanks to you and all your staff for making this tour for the Quire of Voyces our very best yet! Your attention to every detail, special offerings each day, fine accommodations and outstanding tour guides all made for a very gratifying experience for all of us.” Susan Kuehn, Quire of Voyces Performance Tour to Italy, June 2010 "I have only wonderful things to say about Incantato Tours! The UGA Chamber Choir traveled to Italy in 2009. From the marvelous concert venues to the excellently managed tour, this was really a dream trip. The highly professional and expert Incantato tour manager who was with us throughout the entire trip, the fantastic bus drivers, and the knowledgeable city tour guides all helped to make the tour run exceptionally smoothly. Probably most important was that this entire trip was really a specialty tour designed especially for this particular choral group. Incantato Tours made it possible for us to sing in some very remarkable places, including the Sistine Chapel. Planning a tour takes incredible dedication and Incantato Tours would definitely be my choice again!" Dr. Martha Thomas, UGA School of Music, Athens, GA
“We had the wonderful opportunity to go to Spain, sing in great venues, experience an amazing culture, and eat great food. There is always a special element of magic that happens with Incantato Tours.” Andrew Crane, Director of Choral and Vocal Activities, California State University, San Bernardino;Performance Tour to Spain, June 2010 “Incantato Tours has created the most musically satisfying tour we have ever taken. For the singers touring is about the music in the wonderful cathedrals and the exchanges with the local kids. A toast to Incantato for fulfilling your dream, and for making so many people so happy - now and in the future.” Arlene Jacobs, SCS Touring Choir, Akron, OH
“Incantanto facilitated maximum educational, religious, and just plain fun experiences among youth and adults alike.” Ed Bettendorf, Western Reserve Academy, Performance Tour to Italy March 2010
"There are at least four essential ingredients for a successful and rewarding concert tour for young people and their sponsors —appropriate concert settings, advance publicity, opportunities for learning about the areas visited (including exchanges with the local youth), and good logistical planning. The recent tour of the Akron, Ohio Summit Children's Touring Choir through Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria was successful indeed. The venues were most impressive and beautiful. The publicity produced large responsive and appreciative crowds as well as mayor’s receptions with recital opportunities at city halls. The knowledgeable tour guides and the visits with local youth and choirs provided an experience for the choir members that will not be soon forgotten. The schedule for travel, meals, concerts and touring were planed and flexible enough to accommodate for unexpected delays without loss of any scheduled tour, exchange or concert. Finally, a "shadow tour" of parents and sponsors was also a success and allowed those who wished to do so to attend every reception, recital and concert while being guided on a separate tour, well planned and executed. As one who worked with Sandra Weinacht and her staff at Incantato I can assure you it would not have been such a success without their planning and execution of our tour. They are to be commended and I would highly recommend Incantato Tours to anyone considering a group tour, especially a performance tour. C.A. Ridge Jr., A Summit Choral Society Sponsor
“Incantato Tours impresses me because their clients come first. Their advantage lies in the selection of venues, impressive itineraries and the ability to tend to details.” Dr. Gary L. Unruh, Professor Emeritus, CSU Fresno
“I can't speak highly enough about Incantato Tours. They were with us every step of the way, tailoring a tour that was perfect for our wants, needs and budget. I would recommend Incantato to anyone serious about a choir tour, especially if you want a tour that provides wonderful indelible memories of the best that a tour can be.” Stan DeWitt, Minister of Music, Grace First Presbyterian Church, Long Beach, CA; Performance Tour to Ireland, April 2010
"Of the eight international tours I've taken as both singer and conductor, last summer's CSULB tour to Naples, Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast with Incantato was the best organized and the most fun. Our tour manager and guides were professional, wonderful teachers, and our venues were beautiful. We saw stunning posters for our events everywhere we walked. The marketing for our concerts was incredible! Our audiences were huge and exuberant, and Incantato made all the pieces fell into place beautifully. Thank you Incantato Tours for the personal attention, for the flexibility that allowed us to choose exactly where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. We're already planning for 2010." Dr. Jonathan Talberg - Director of Choral, Vocal, and Opera Studies, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, California State University, Long Beach
"Canticum Novum, The tour choir of Central Church in Phoenix just completed its most successful tour in 35 years of concertizing abroad, solely due to the excellent management of Incantato. Their attention to every detail, response to every request, superb International Staff, and excellence in concert management are singularly distinctive. Theirs is a professional concert management group who are also excellent providers of travel services. That is a distinctive difference. Travel agents are for travel; Incantato provides concert management in stunning venues, and the organizational minutia supporting these artistic events in addition to fine-tuned travel experiences filled with special amenities. If music making in superb acoustical spaces to wonderfully receptive audiences is your priority, Incantato is the professional tour group for your ensemble." Donald. E. Morse, Central United Methodist Church, Phoenix, AZ
"The San Marino Chamber Singers have been very fortunate to travel several times already with the director of Incantato Tours, Ms. Sandra Weinacht. She was our personal tour and concert manager when we traveled to Italy in 2005 and then designed, organized and oversaw our tour to Central Europe in 2007. It was another huge success. Aside from selecting and working with prime venues only, Ms. Weinacht's staff also put in great time and effort in promoting our concerts through beautiful designed and professionally printed concert posters and cards. Incantato's marketing of our performances became highly visible to the public and contributed to the success of every concert. I have been more than impressed with their professionalism and highly recommend Incantato Tours to everyone. They definitely cater to each choir member's personal needs and watch every detail. The hotels were carefully selected, the meals were beyond our expectation. If there were ever any problems, they were dealt with beautifully and professionally on the spot. We were very impressed with how well the whole tour was executed. The next time we go back to Europe, it will be with Incantato Tours." Howard Cheung, San Marino Chamber Choir, CA
"Well, you did it. I don't know how, but you did it! You accepted the challenge, and performed a small miracle. My hat is off to you and Ted for creating what is, for me, the most musically satisfying tour we have taken. All of the kids who have been on the three tours (Italy, China, and Europe) agreed, hands down, that this was the best ever. For them it's about the music in the wonderful cathedrals and the exchanges with the local kids. In festival-type situations they are not really "up close and personal" with other kids - they're mostly rehearsing. At any rate, a toast to Incantato, to you and Ted for fulfilling your dream, and for making so many people so happy - now and in the future. Thank you!" Arlene Jacobs, Artistic Director, Summit Children’s Touring Choir and Co-Founder of the Summit Choral Society (SCS)
"Incantato stresses the small town experience as well as the traditional larger cities, but it wasn't until I looked out on the valley and town of Salice Terme spread out below us as we enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked Italian meal that I truly understood or appreciated that element. At that moment, "Italy" became much more than a series of famous cities to check off my list; it became a real world, a place of rolling hills as well as marble cathedrals, time-honored traditions and modern technology. A true mix of culture and heritage unknown and unappreciated by those in the United States --- until you arrive! The experience we had of singing in the Sistine Chapel is absolutely indescribable, yet I must try. It's been almost three months since the last note of Gregorio Allegri's Miserere echoed off Botticelli's walls and Michelangelo's awesome ceiling, but to the choir it is still as vivid a memory as if we sang there last night. I can't thank Sandra and the Incantato Team enough for arranging such a poignant moment" David Okun, student at UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Athens, GA
St. Mary’s Church of Ireland is the Occidental College Glee Club venue today, Friday, May 21 at 8 pm:
