The Women’s Voices Chorus recently returned from touring the Baltic States and performing in the American Celebration of Music concert series. The respective capital cities of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius all boast breathtaking scenery and artistic traditions that performing groups are sure to enjoy. Dr. Allan Friedman reports:
“Past relationships and successful tours, price, and reputation are what keep me coming back to Music Celebrations International. My MCI Team was excellent in all of our interactions. I would be delighted to work with any of them again on a future tour.
The personal tour highlights for me were interacting with the people of all three countries [Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia]. The tumultuous history of these folks and their resolute attitudes about the past and the future were quite moving. It was great to be able to share our music with them and to sing music from each of their nations. It was also especially moving to hear the stories of their defending their culture, whether it was the human chain from Vilnius to Tallinn, the story about them passing books from an old library to a new one in the dead of winter in Riga, or seeing the festival song grounds in Tallinn, where folks sang for freedom. It is a land that really loves music and has a deep understanding of history and culture. I think the performers were especially moved by the visit to the song grounds, singing at the Riga Opera House, and singing at the Church service in Vilnius. As a small aside, the concert posters for the events were really lovely. Kudos to whoever designed those.
I was incredibly pleased with our local Tour Manager. I have worked with at least 6-7 guides from previous tours and she was among the best. She was kind to our travelers and very flexible in our plans. Our group is pretty diverse in terms of mobility and travel styles, and she found ways to accommodate everyone. She was pleasant at all times, even when dealing with the normal hiccups that occur with group travel, and she showed great foresight about planning each day. She was also extremely knowledgeable about each place we visited and worked well with the local guides we had.
I also want to thank you for the hard work of getting us hotels near to the city center. This makes a huge difference in the ability of our membership to see and do what they wish to. This is a really high priority for our group, and it had a great effect on the tour.
Thanks for all you and your team did for us!”
Dr. Allan Friedman, Director
Women’s Voices Chorus