SPAIN
Spain, a land of jeweled Moorish palaces, sun-drenched beaches, terraced vineyards, sleepy fishing villages, primeval corridas (bullfights) and sensuous flamenco has become the sophisticated playground of Europe, and a premier destination of art, music and literature lovers. The vitality and excitement of today’s Spain have made it popular worldwide.
As the inheritors of a great and ancient civilization dating from before the Roman Empire, Spaniards live in a land as culturally rich as it is geographically varied, with wooded sierras, and plateaus, and sandy beaches. It is this exciting variety in the landscape as well as in art, architecture, music, and cuisine that makes Spain one of the top countries in the world to visit.
Spanish cultural life has been reinvigorated, particularly in the years since the death of General Franco. The performing arts, once restricted by lack of facilities, have received major investments including new venues, regional arts centers and new symphony orchestras. The country has produced many remarkable opera singers, including Montserrat Caballé, Alfredo Kraus, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras. Spain now boasts some of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls.
Spain’s music is the embodiment of rich cultural influences from church (Gregorian plainchant reached its pinnacle in Spain), Moorish culture, and Spain’s diverse groups such as Catalans, Basques, Gallegos in the northeast to the quintessentially Spanish in Castile or Andalusia. Composers like Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albeniz, Fernando Sor, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Gabriel Balart, Oscar Espla, and others have left their definite mark on the world canon of music literature.
Venues in Spain range from the great cathedrals to smaller parish churches, outdoor stages (in some of the major plazas in cities), Roman ruins, amphitheaters, concert halls, conservatory auditoriums, and cultural centers. Destinations include Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Seville, Granada, Avila, Segovia, Bilbao, Valencia and many others.
Selected American groups are invited to share their talents with appreciative audiences in glorious venues and spectacular settings throughout Spain.
Testimonials
First of all, we were delighted by the huge crowds at all our venues. They were at least double the amount of people that we could have wished for in our wildest dreams. In Granada, we performed for an amazing crowd of more than 1200. I wish to stress that we had a great tour, and that there were many, many positives. We had several memorable concerts and a multitude of fascinating cultural experiences. We are very grateful to Music Celebrations for providing us with a great experience and you will definitely be our first choice the next time we are considering a concert tour. “We really enjoyed the trip. Thank you for helping make it come true! On tour, I enjoyed seeing the kids say “wow” and I know they got a lot out of being in Spain. All of the difficulty with fundraising, etc. was worth it. Traveling makes such a difference to young people and is long-lasting. The MCI staff that I worked with were just great! Very professional, friendly, helpful and I loved working with them. I would gladly recommend MCI to any organization.” It was a fantastic trip! Everyone was very happy, and all the students said it was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to them. Everything about the tour – concert venues, hotels, food, tour buses, etc., was very high class. The parents that traveled with us were amazed at the high level of service and quality. (I, of course, told them that this is what we have come to expect from MCI….consistent quality.) I would be more than happy to be a reference! I’m very pleased with our relationship with Music Celebrations. I believe that without exception, every member of our tour group had a spectacular time in Spain. Our tour escort was, by a very wide margin, the finest escort with whom I have ever worked. This was the best of six European tours in which I have been a participant or leader. I heard others comment that this was the best Carolina Master Chorale tour of the five taken in the history of the organization. Thank you for arranging excellent venues, hotels, and sightseeing tours which thrilled our touring members.Rodney Wynkoop & Allan Friedman, Duke University Chapel Choir
Jan Colgate, Memphis Youth Symphony Orchestra
Paul Wigley, Lakeville North High School
Tim Koch, Carolina Master Chorale
