WEDNESDAY

DEPART FROM NORTH AMERICA

Depart in the afternoon or evening on your flight to Vienna, Austria. Dinner, snacks, and breakfast will be served on the flight.

THURSDAY

ARRIVAL IN VIENNA AND WELCOME DINNER

Your Music Contact International tour manager will be waiting for you upon arrival at the airport in Vienna and you’ll transfer by motor coach to your hotel.

After freshening up at the hotel, enjoy an orientation walk through the picturesque Christmas-ornamented center of Vienna. View St. Stephen’s Cathedral with its “lace-in-stone” spire – the symbol of Vienna, and the Staatsoper (State Opera House). Walk along the elegant pedestrian street Kärntner Strasse lined with boutiques, bakeries, and famous Viennese cafés.
Tonight a Welcome Dinner is served for your choir in the hotel restaurant.

FRIDAY

CONCERT IN SENIOR CENTER OR SCHOOL

Begin your day with a guided city tour revealing Vienna’s vast music history. Your expert guide will explain the sights along the Ringstrasse, the tree-lined boulevard encircling the center of Vienna, including the breathtaking Votive Church, the University of Vienna, the world famous State Opera House, the Hofburg Palace, the neo-classical Parliament building, and the regal Art History and Natural History Museums. Learn about Vienna’s most famous piece of 20th century architecture, the Hundertwasser Haus, designed by the contemporary Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

Following the tour, enjoy Austrian specialties for lunch in the Rathauskeller Restaurant located in Vienna’s City Hall. Over lunch you can meet choirs from across Europe who are also in Vienna for the Advent Sing.

This afternoon adult choirs perform in a local Senior Citizen Center while youth choirs perform in Viennese schools. Enjoy time to meet the audience after your performance and to share season’s greetings.

SATURDAY

CONCERT IN THE FESTIVAL HALL OF THE VIENNA CITY HALL

This morning you may choose to explore the spectacular Schönbrunn Palace, once the home of Maria Theresa and the summer residence of the Habsburg family for generations. The palace recalls the days of eighteenth-century Vienna when Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven called it home, and when Vienna was established as the European capital of music. Be sure to also take in the spectacular Christmas Market in front of the Palace. The market is elaborately decorated for the season and filled with booths selling Christmas ornaments, Austrian food and drink, and small hand-made gifts and crafts.

Alternatively, you may want to visit one of Vienna’s outstanding museums, such as the Museum of Art History, Museum of Natural History, or the Belvedere Palace.
This afternoon, your choir performs in the Festival Hall of the Vienna City Hall, where Strauss presented the Waltz to the world! Before and after your choir’s performance, enjoy the music of other choirs from different countries. As choirs enter the stage in the Festival Hall they are announced on the Christmas Market outside where people are invited to come in to hear the music.

Tonight you’ll travel to Gumpoldskirchen, an 800-year old wine village. Experience a traditional Austrian “Heuriger”, a dinner of grilled meats, sauerkraut and bread served family-style on long wooden tables while a local musician plays the accordion and inspires guest choirs to sing along.

SUNDAY

CONCERT AT MELK ABBEY AND CLOSING CEREMONY

Start your day with the scenic drive to the town of Melk, on the banks of the Danube River. From miles away you will see the stunning baroque Melk Abbey perched on the hill above the town. Considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Austria, the Abbey dates back to 13th century. Upon arrival in Melk, a lunch of traditional Austrian fare is included at a local restaurant. Following the meal, walk to the abbey where you will meet an English-speaking abbey guide for a guided tour. During the tour visit the abbey’s courtyards, its ornate library, the spectacular marble hall, and the emperor’s visiting quarters. The most breathtaking space in the abbey is the magnificent Melk Abbey Church, which is also the venue for your afternoon performance. Every inch of the church is decorated in sculptures and covered in gold leaf, and the acoustics of the church will leave your choir in awe. You will also be able to listen to the performances of other choirs participating in the International Advent Sing. This beautiful concert is highly anticipated each year by the local community and visitors to the region.

After returning to the hotel to refresh, all of the guest choirs meet at the Vienna City Hall for the official Closing Ceremony of the International Advent Sing.

MONDAY

DEPARTURE

Enjoy your final Austrian breakfast before departing by motor coach to the Vienna’s Schwechat Airport for the return flight.

Accommodations

• 4 nights in 4-star, centrally located hotel in double occupancy rooms

Transportation

• Transfers by private motor coach to and from the airport and the hotel in Vienna as well as all bus transportation to and from concerts and for the sightseeing tour as described in your itinerary

Meals

• Breakfast Buffet daily at the hotel including beverages
• Dinner on the evening of arrival
• Lunch at the Vienna City Hall Rathauskeller1
• Lunch in Melk
• Dinner in Gumpoldskirchen, including one beverage

Performance Opportunities and Rehearsals

5 performance opportunities

• Performance in the Vienna City Hall
• Performance at Melk Abbey
• Performance at a Senior Citizen’s Center, or Viennese School for youth choirs
• Performance in a pedestrian area in the city center or in front of Schönbrunn Palace
• Performance during a church service

Tour Manager

• Full-time Music Contact International tour manager to accompany your group during their entire stay, from arrival in Vienna to departure.

Local Guides & Special Events

• Participation in the Closing Ceremony
  
  • With refreshments and beverages included
• Guided Sightseeing tour of Vienna with a local guide, as described in the itinerary

Complimentary Places

• One complimentary land package based upon double occupancy, covering inclusions listed above for a minimum of 30 paying travelers

Additional Materials

• A handbook including detailed tour itinerary and additional regional information will be provided for each member of the group
• Keepsake DVD video of photos from your tour set to your group’s music

Complimentary Director's Orientation

• Complimentary participation in the Director's Orientation