International Tours

 

Since 1989, Musikanten, and Musikanten in diaspora (Rome, Sarajevo, England, Switzerland, Vienna, Germany, CA, CO, FL, PA, NY, IL and of course MT) have gathered nearly annually to do a 10-day concert tour to various wonderful sites scouted out by their fearless leader, Maestra Kerry.

They have all been adventures; here are a few, randomly chosen: singing with Pope John Paul II on world-wide television in a Beatification Mass on St. Peter's Square (1992); Maestra Krebill's 50th birthday performance of the Monteverdi Vespers at the Scuolo San Rocco, with the ensemble now world-famous as the Venice Baroque Orchestra (1997); participation in Mass at St. Michael's in Brussels immediately following the funeral of Konig Bodewijn (1993); champagne toasts by the American Ambassador in Ljubljana (1995); the (nuts and raisins!) reception following our performance in the beyond-elegant Palacio Foz in Lisboa (2001); folk dancing with the (gorgeous!) women of the host choir in Riga, Latvia (2009); feasting on an amazing asado at our post-concert party in La Plata, Argentina (2007). The most recent tours have included Istanbul, Izmir and the Turkish Coast (2010), Vienna and surrounds in (2011), Gdansk and Berlin in (2012), and Madrid-Avila-Toledo-Salamanca (2014).

Mostly on tours we bring American music to our European and South-American audiences - Copland, Schuman, Bernstein, Carter, Ives, Billings, Hawley, Whitacre, Fine, Dinerstein, and our Washington DC favorites Russell Woollen and Robert Evett. We also have in-house composers and have often performed music of Christopher Hoh, Michael Harrison, and Mimi Stevens. We always try to salute our host country with music in their language (often a challenge; try Hungarian or Portuguese). We have "discovered" wonderful music searching out Renaissance Masses from the courts of early European rulers - Magalhães in Portugal, Jacob Handl in Slovenia, Guerrero in Spain. We have also gone back to the great historical music of the places we visit, notably singing the Cavalli Vespers in Venice, and Music of the "Goudene Eeuw" (Josquin, Ockeghem, Obrecht, etc) in Flanders.

We welcome both singers and "groupies" on our tours. Rehearsal time is minimal - singers must be able to prepare on their own. Groupies contribute a $200 tax-deductible donation to Musikanten, to help offset singers' music and other expenses. Tour costs are extremely reasonable, and there is considerable free time; Musikanten are very independent types. Extending the stay is always a possibility.