Plans for the tour began over a year before we departed. Finding a tour company was the first step. Once we settled on Music Celebrations International, finding performance venues was the next step. When Artistic Director Jerid Morisco first requested the venues of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany (the largest Gothic structure in Europe), St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany (Johann Sebastian Bach’s own church) and the Dom in Salzburg, Austria (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s church), the president of the tour company told him that only the most accomplished choirs from around the world were accepted into those venues, and a choir that had only been in existence for two years did not have a chance of getting into these prestigious cathedrals. Nonetheless, we submitted a compact disc of one of our live concerts to the music director from each of the churches as an audition. Amazingly, the music directors at all three cathedrals invited us to perform.

We were all so excited, and we began preparing for the tour. We performed nine concerts and had many extra rehearsals to assure that we were ready. Our efforts certainly paid off during the tour.

Friday, 30 May 2003    Darmstadt

Upon landing in Frankfurt, Germany, we traveled by motor coach toward our first official destination, Darmstadt.  There were, however, some nice diversions along the way.  In addition to visiting the town of Wiesbaden, we made a stop in Mainz to visit the Gutenberg Museum.

Not one to let a singing opportunity pass, our conductor organized a type of “progressive” concert, during which we sang in a series of Baroque-style churches while meandering through the charming streets of Mainz.

Stopping in each one, including the Augustinekirche (seen here), gave us the chance to gain a glimpse of the experiences that awaited us on this journey.  Arriving in Darmstadt, we dined, relaxed, socialized, and anticipated what awaited us.  In retrospect, it was impossible to imagine!

On Saturday morning, we departed for a half-day tour of Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university town. Once again, the opportunity to perform presented itself, and we gathered on risers outside the Schlob (castle) for an impromptu concert.

Leaving Heidelberg, we traveled on to tour the Russian Orthodox Church. Our first scheduled performance in Germany was to be a benefit concert (Benefizkonzert) to help the city of Darmstadt and the church raise the nearly $1,000,000 needed for the church’s restoration. Given as a wedding gift from Czar Nikolas to his Alexandra, this beautiful chapel was as charming and steeped in history as it was opulent.

Though the official concert was scheduled for the following day, the church tour on this day set the stage for the most emotional performance thus far --- and we had not even had our first “formal” concert yet! While gathered in this small chapel, we sang “Otche Nash” (“The Lord’s Prayer”) in Russian. Visibly moved by the performance, Natalia Kalougina, music director at the Russian Church, honored the chorale by joining them in an encore, adding her voice to the soprano section.

Due to space limits within the Russian Orthodox Church itself, the benefit concert was held in the Stiftskirche, a Lutheran church just a block away. The chorale performed both German, Russian, and American works before a very receptive audience. Once again, Natalia joined the choir in singing “Otche Nash”.

Our Russian, though not perfect, conveyed the message of unity to our audience, most gracious with their applause and – more importantly – their smiles.

Following the concert, the chorale walked the few short blocks to the Russian Church, where the above photo was taken.

After our tour and performance, our director, Jerid Morisco offers an appreciation gift to Natalia Kalougina, and to the Priest at the Russian Church. However, it was clear to all that the true gift exchanged was that of music and its ability to unite and bridge understanding among cultures and across languages.

That evening, we traveled to Linz am Rhein, Marietta’s Sister City.

This past October, The Marietta Master Chorale performed for visitors from Linz at a reception held in their honor at Brumby Hall in Marietta. Following this performance, Mayor Adi Buchwald issued a personal invitation for the chorale to perform in his city as part of our upcoming tour. Thus, the stage was set for today’s activities!

We arrived at Linz’s Town Hall early on Monday morning, where the mayor and members of his staff greeted us. Greetings were exchanged, and Jerid shared a letter from Marietta’s mayor, Bill Dunaway.

Mayor Buchwald offered a toast to goodwill and healed relations between our two countries. It was evident from his remarks that he greatly looks forward to Marietta’s Sister City visit to Linz in October of 2003. The steps of the Town Hall served as the stage for our performance, as we sang for a most appreciative mayor and staff members. Choir members were given the glasses used to toast the Sister City friendship between our two towns. These small glasses became yet another reminder of the uniting of cultures, making us truly feel like honored ambassadors to this lovely town.

Following the Mayor’s reception, we traveled to Cologne where the Chorale was scheduled to perform as part of the noontime prayer service. The Cathedral’s impressive spires reached high into the city’s skyline, as we approached it from the Autobahn.

Several members commented that viewing this great cathedral from a distance brought to reality the magnitude of what we were doing and the importance of our European performances in the evolution of this chorale. There was an air of reverence as we entered the largest Gothic Cathedral in all of Europe. Assembling on the risers from which we would perform, everyone had a chance to reflect on this performance - a real milestone for the chorale - and the beauty of this venue.

Following our performance, we traveled to Bad Godesberg, where we boarded a boat for a cruise on the Rhine River. Arriving back in Linz, we toured the town at our leisure, dined, and enjoyed evening entertainment with our own John Luegering on guitar. For these and other casual pictures from our tour, go to our “Photo Gallery” from the navigation on our home page.

This was largely a travel day, as we headed toward Leipzig, the home of Bach’s church, St. Thomas. The performance at the Thomaskirche would have special meaning for The Marietta Master Chorale. Our own Gordon Porth would be performing on Bach’s organ, the perfect showcase for Gordon’s skill as an accomplished organist. We arrived in Leipzig in time for Jerid and Gordon to meet with the Music Director of Thomaskirche regarding the next day’s concert. When they joined us at the hotel later, many had already assembled for dinner.

One look at Gordon’s face when he walked into the dining area told all that the following day’s performance was going to be special.

Right away, upon arriving in Leipzig, one realizes that Bach’s former presence in this town is a huge part of what defines it today. His statue, massive in size and stateliness, stands between The Bach Museum and the Thomaskirche, where he lived, worked and performed for so many years. The statue is the focal point in the small area between the church and the museum. Bach appears to be looking over the small plaza, as if surveying the grounds where so many still gather for worship, experiencing his musical masterpieces in the church where he himself worked and worshiped.

Early in the day, as we enjoyed Leipzig, many gathered and waited to enter the Bach Museum for a brief tour. Then…someone spotted it. On a glass door, to the left of the museum entrance, was our concert announcement for that evening’s performance. Seeing our chorale’s name in print and display, as well as that of our director, sent many a member searching for their camera, from which we have the following picture.

Just as performing in our first prayer service at the Cathedral in Cologne will always be significant in the evolving life of this choir, seeing this first concert poster evoked similar emotions, as we looked ahead to our performance at St. Thomas Church.

Our performance consisted of participating in the Meditation Service, followed by a 30-minute recital. Obviously, it was an honor to sing Bach’s work in Bach’s church. But this moment truly belonged to Gordon. His performance was a part of the “group” performance, yes. However, all would likely agree that his performance allowed each member of the chorale, as well as the congregants, the atmosphere for their own personal worship experience.

This photo has become a favorite among several chorale members. One member summed it up in a fairly appropriate caption:

“An impressive collection of musicality gathered in one spot.”

There were no performances scheduled for this day. It was a chance to relax and enjoy a full day excursion to Dresden, where we toured the Zwinger and Semper Opera House.

A former exchange student of hers meets Barbara Stubbs, treasurer for The Marietta Master Chorale, in front of the Opera House.

The faux marble columns and the beautiful tapestries highlighted a visually inspiring story of a people’s determination to restore, preserve and protect their rich history. To walk the streets of Dresden is to discover one of the most detailed and painstaking attempts to successfully rebuild an entire city leveled by the bombings of WWII.

After visiting the porcelain factory in Meissen, we returned to Leipzig for our last evening there, highlighted by dinner at the Thueringer Hof restaurant.

The morning of 6 June began with our earliest departure time yet – but a necessary feat, as we were due at a Mayor’s reception in Salzburg at Mirabell Hall by mid-afternoon. A mayor’s representative greeted the chorale and hosted us at the reception. Following an exchange of appreciation gifts, our visit culminated with a performance in the meeting hall of opulent Mirabell Palace.

The following morning, we enjoyed a guided tour of Salzburg, highlighted by visits to Mozart’s birthplace, beautiful Mirabell Gardens, the Fortress and the Salzburger Dom. As we entered the Dom, we took note of our concert announcement poster. As in Leipzig, the sight was still somewhat surreal.

The afternoon was busy with rehearsals and preparations for our final official concert of our European tour. An all Mozart concert featuring soloists and orchestra, scheduled for early that evening in the Dom, promised to be fitting culmination to a magnificent tour. The concert was magical! Members of the Chorale, the orchestra, and the soloists could all feel the synthesis that was taking place. We were so overwhelmed with joy, that the hour-long concert felt more like 20 minutes.

Salzburg is home to the world-famous Mozarteum, which is a training conservatory for the music of Mozart. Salzburg audiences are very picky when it comes to Mozart, for they hear it on a daily basis. After our thrilling concert, the audience of around 1,000 gave us a standing ovation—WOW!

Janos Czfira, Domkapellmeister of the Salzburger Dom, was a most gracious host for this concert.

"I will keep your faces and your music in my heart forever.  This great Cathedral is now not only our home but also yours." –Janos Czfira

His welcoming spirit and words of encouragement for our performance made all of us feel that our chorale truly shared in making this great Dom a venue for Mozart’s inspiring and reverent music.

Special…awesome…incredible…amazing…how should it be described? These diary entries simply give a brief glimpse into the many wonderful experiences from this tour. The reflection on the Salzburg experience, however, will be one in which the search for appropriate words will have to continue --- even after these diaries are long finished. The quality of the orchestra and soloists, the beauty of the venue, the precision of the voices and, as singers, KNOWING, at that moment, that we were creating something that would serve as a transformational pause in the road on our journey toward ever improving performances --- all came together in the span of what seemed like fleeting seconds. Many factors came together to bring us to this point…a dedicated group of singers, musical scores penned by fabulously inspiring composers, a talented and focused conductor, generous monetary supporters and ever-encouraging family and friends.

The search for the right words will continue…

Fresh from the elation of the Salzburg experience, we set out for Munich at mid-day. We arrived in time to do some sightseeing prior to the 5:00 p.m. “chiming of the hour” of the famous Glockenspiel. Dinner at the Ratskeller restaurant provided the setting for our final European impromptu performance of one of our encores. We gathered below the beautifully painted and vaulted ceiling to sing “I’ll Be Seeing You”, all the while knowing that the memories of the trip would replay in our minds many times.

After a night’s sleep at the airport hotel, we began the journey home on 9 June 2003. Plans are already underway for next season…and the next…and the next! If your are interested in joining The Marietta Master Chorale next season, please email Jerid Morisco at conductor@mariettamasterchorale.org. Look soon for an updated list of The Marietta Master Chorale’s performances for 2003-2004. Make a note of the dates and locations and, hopefully, “We’ll be seeing you…”