The city of Dresden is very rich in history and natural beauty. The kids headed to the museums and tour of the city. they visited the Art Museum an the opera house. One of these houses the second largest porcelain collection in the world.

The night before some of the parents decided that they wanted a change of scenery and asked for permission to separate from the main group. A small group decided to go bicycling, while yet another (about 20 of us)  decided to visit Prague (Prahe) Checoslovakia.

The three bicycle riders went down the river bank about 20 miles out ...<< MORE >>

We got up early and headed to breakfast which everyone enjoyed... at around 9:00 AM we boarded the buses and headed to Dresden. On the way we stopped at a very nice rest-stop where we had fun posing with the mannequins.

Upon arriving at Dresden, each bus was boarded by a local tour guide. The city of Dresden is beautiful, full of great buildings and historic sites. A river runs through the city and a park runs along it. We stopped and enjoyed the afternoon walking around.

That evening the kids went bowling while the adults did adult activities... we went into town and planned the next day activities.

See photos from Dresden

First, my most sincere apology for not being able to keep you up to date of our progress. My computer did not cooperate with me and was unable to post pictures and comments. I will do so today after I recuperate from the jet lag... We are all back home safe and sound. Saturday was a very hard day on all of us with a very busy schedule and we need some rest.

Some of the parents, and I hope that some of the kids too, have agreed to give me copies of their photos. These along with the sound track from the music played during the tour, provided by Dr. Jordan, will allow me to create a slide show highlighting this very successful performance of our bright young kids. A CD will be provided to all of the tour members for sharing with their families and friends, giving all a broad prospective of the trip.

Look back later today or tomorrow for more photos and comments...

Once again we began the day with a great breakfast at the Westin Hotel. Around 9:30 AM we met Karen, our local guide who took on a walking city tour. Karen was an interesting character, very East Germany looking woman. Trying to cross a busy street was not a problem, she stood in the middle of the road with her hand extended and traffic stopped.

She took was through the city to see the center of town and to see St Nicholas and St Thomas churches, this last one is where Bach is buried. The town was quite busy, compared ...<< MORE >>

Sunday early afternoon the parent's bus departed for the town of Wettin. The kids has already gone ahead to Halle where they rehearsed in the afternoon and got ready for the evening concert. We spent about one hour in Wettin, the birthplace of Martin Luther and then headed to Halle for the first concert.

The first impression is of an extremely small town, well it is, about 2500 residents but it is full of history. It was the capital o the Saxon empire in medieval times. The church is very small and in need of some repairs but the congregation is ...<< MORE >>

Today we had an early rise and an incredible breakfast. We congregated at the magnificent Westin Hotel lobby and boarded the bus to our first destination, the Grassi Museum of Musical Instruments. Their collection is very exciting with original instruments from Mozart, Back and Mendelssohn's time. They treated us to music from the periods, played with magnificent reproductions.

After that our tour guide, Giza, took us to the Monument to the battle of Europe, a grand structure that took about 100 years to complete. The views from up there were spectacular...

Look at the photos

All the performers arrived early at the school to get everything ready and loaded. the kids and some of the parents were treated to a nice German style lunch and beautiful German music which some of the kids danced to. At about noon we gathered our belongings and traveled to the airport.

Click here for photos of the trip to the airport

The parents boarded the fight first and left around two in the afternoon, followed by the musicians and their chaperone's who left around 5 PM. It was a LONGGGG flight and after the required customs stopover both flights continued on to Berlin where the parents arrived around 2 PM Berlin time. The musicians arrived about one hour later. Left the airport on our way to Leipzig.

See photos of the arrival in Belin and trip to Leipzig

Today is the day, we depart on our journey to Germany. I am sure everyone is as excited as I am. Some of us are looking forward to the music, some to the sights, the history, the poeple, ... some of us are looking to the food and the beer... of course this last item is for the parents ONLY!!!

As soon as I have access to an Internet connection I will post information on our where abouts and hopefully some photos.

What a great start!

To a packed theater the three ensembles performed the music to be played in Germany. Mrs Price conducted the Strings Ensemble while Dr. Jordan directed the Concert Band and the Wind Ensemble.

Although small, the Colony Theater in Miami Beach (Lincoln Road) is an excellent venue where every seat has a great view. All present were treated to great music we hope will be appreciated by the German audiences. We had a great time listening to the concerts.

Click here to see some photos

Friday, April 3, 09 DEPARTURE FROM MIAMI
Enjoy full meal service on our scheduled wide-bodied flight to Berlin.

Saturday, April 4, 09 ARRIVE BERLIN - LEIPZIG (3 NIGHTS) 
We will be met at the airport by our tour managers/guides where we board our own private coaches. We will transfer to our hotel in Leipzig, a city that flourished from the 16th century onwards thanks to the wealth it created from the rich silver mines in the nearby Erzgebirge. It has always enjoyed great economic and cultural success, although both were significantly stifled under the Communist regime after World War II. Music, in particular, ...<< MORE >>