July 7 - Tuesday

Breakfast(extensive buffet) was served from 6:30 p.m. on the patio overlooking the Danube River. It was great to be so near this famous river and watch the river traffic as we ate. On the buses by 8 the first stop was the Schoenbrun Palace, built by the Habsburgs as an imitation of the Palace at Versailles-- a majestic place considering the Main Palace is only a short distance away in the city. We took walking tours of the Palace enjoying the information from our guide. Following the tour we were dropped off again to get our own lunch after another trip through the other palace back in the city. At 2 pm we started our first rehearsal with Dr. Eph Ehly. It was a real workout until 5 pm when we took a break for food. Supper was at a family restaurant called Restaurant Kardos where we had a great time of fellowship but quickly had to get back to the ancient Minoritenkirche for another rehearsal from 7 til 9. The church dates back many hundreds of years and the sound when we sing is amazing--noting like it! Tired we got back to our hotel about 10 p.m.

THE Imperial Palace and gardens.

We are in Vienna!!

We gathered at the airport at 4 am to catch the first leg of our trip to Toronto at 6 am. After a 6 hour layover and a 8 1/2 flight aboard Austrian Airlines we arrived in Vienna after a 23 hour trip at 8:30 am local time. Our tour guides met us, Andreas and Pascal, and took us on a day of touring before we got to our hotel. The Central Cemetery of 3 million graves was our first stop. Our focus were the graves of famous composers---Motzart, Beethoven, Schubert to name a few although some grave stones are just honorific--that is--they simply honor the composer. For lunch we were dropped off for a walk around the older central center where after finding something to eat many of us went into St. Stephen's Cathedral where we had to get shelter from the brief but heavy downpour. The tour then took us around the general layout of Vienna and then a 2:30 we got to our hotel-tired and ready for a rest. Some slept until 6 pm when we went out on the buses again for our authentic Austrian supper at a place which served us schnitzel and music.(The Weinschlossel) Serenaded by a violin, accordian, and a gracious lady we heard german songs and later, along with the choir, a lot of broadway songs, especially from the Sound of Music. We finished late and on the way back to the Hotel Hilton Danube we were treated to a mountan top evening view of the city of Vienna. A great way to end a very, very long day. Our hotel is on the bank of the Danube river. The trip is great so far--ready to start singing tomorrow. Vienna is an old city with a rich history going back to Roman times. It's musical history is what we look forward to being a part of

Our Itinerary For Vienna

Sunday, July 5
Leave Edmonton at 6am for Vienna via Toronto

Monday, July 6 - Vienna
Arrive Vienna, meet tour managers enroute to hotel. Stop at Vienna's Central Cemetery to visit grave sites of famfous composers followed by panoramic tour of Vienna. Check into Hilton Danube Hotel. Dinner at Restaurant Weinschloessl Grinzig. Evening visit to top of Kahlenberg Mountain for scenic view of Vienna.

Tuesday, July 7 - Vienna
Tour of historical Vienna. Afternoon and Evening Rehearsals

Wednesday, July 8 - Vienna
Excursion to Eisenstadt to visit Esterhazy Palace and its Haydnsaal. Short recital in the Haydnsaal as part of the 2009 commemoration of the 200th year since the composers death.
Evening rehearsal

Thursday, July 9 - Vienna
Guided tour of Musical Vienna, afternoon rehearsal with soloists and orchestra
Evening Festival Performance in the Minoritenkirche

Friday, July 10 - Vienna/Graz
A guided tour of Graz and transfer to Hotel Europa Austria Trend

Saturday, July 11 - Graz/Salzburg
Enroute travfel through the Salzkammergut, take boat cruise on the Wolfgangsee from St. Wolfgang to St. Gilgen

Sunday, July 12 - Salzburg
Guided tour of Salzburg, Sing Morning Mass at the Salzburg Dom followed by short concert. Continue guided tour

Monday, July 13 - Salzburg
Morning excursion to Salt Mines in Hallein, visit Celtic Village showing various techniques of extracting salt. Visit Hallein's parish church as well as home and tomb of Franz-Zavier Gruber composer of Silent Night

Tuesday, July 14 - Salzburg/Innsbruck
Transfer to Innsbruck, half day guided tour of Innsbruck, Concert in the Pfarrkirche Azri as part of the American Celebration of Music in Austria.

Wednesday, July 15 - Innsbruck/Munich, Germany
Day of liesure in Innsbruck, mid afternoon transfer to Munich.

Thursday, July 16 - Depart for home via Vienna and Toronto
Arrive home in Edmonton in the evening of the same day.

Flaskback to New York: November 6, 2005.

Though Vienna is ever more at the front of our minds, the members of the chorus remember fondly the first big trip of the Comunity Chorus in 2005. Carnegie Hall is a mecca for music lovers and performers and the chorus was privileged to be invited to sing in a special presentation of Haydn's Mass in a Time of War ("Paukenmesse") with Richard Sparks as the Conductor. Also part of the program was a special Christmas Cantata conducted by John Leavitt, who like Richard Sparks has had previous connections with Concordia University College of Alberta. The concert was overwhelming and the visit to the "Big Apple" with fellow members of the choir was filled with laugher, memories and a lot of practicing. No wonder we are excited about going to Vienna.

More Pix from A Night in Vienna

Our Conductor and Accompanist

Our Conductor, Dr. Joy Berg, assistant professor in music at Concordia University College of Alberta, holds degrees in Piano Performance and Choral Conducting from the University of Saskatchewan, The University of Alberta, and the University of Iowa. Her dissertation focused on the Christmas music of J.S. Bach. She has been a church musician for many years, participated in the Lutheran World Federation hymn selection committee as the Canadian representative, has presented at the ELCiC National worship conference in 2000 and has served the larger church as director of the Leadership Program for Musicians in Small parishes for the Alberta Synod of the ELCiC. Dr. Berg has been a clinician for Choralfest South in 1998 and 2001, an adjudicator of many music festivals throughout Alberta and B.C., in choral, vocal, and handbell areas, and is often a workshop leader for choirs and church music. Dr. Berg was awarded the 2008 Con Spirito Award from the Alberta Choral Federation. She is an active member of the professional group Pro Coro Canada. Joy serves daily as the Chapel Cantor of the Chapel Ministry at Concordia University College of Alberta.

Roxanne Classen, our accompanist holds a Master of Music degree specializing in Chamber Music from McGill University, a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Education degree specializing in Junior and Senior Choral Music and Drama from the University of Western Ontario. Ms. Classen works with vocalists, choirs and musical theatre ensembles. Her credits include Musical Direction of the MacEwan Theatre Arts Program and the Leave it to Jane Theatre Company and music instruction for Theatre Alberta’s Artstrek Program and Citadel’s Foote Theatre School. She teaches music courses for MacEwan College, gives private lessons from her own Grovenor Music Studio and accompanies the Concordia Community Chorus.

An Evening In Vienna - May 30

"Wow, what a magnificent evening..." Joy Berg the conductor of the Community Chorus said of the event. An Evening in Vienna was a fund-raiser to help the choir go to the Haydn Festival in Vienna this July. It was an evening featuring great desserts and coffee accompanied by Viennese music and dance brought to us by friends of the choir. Some of the friends included Mireille Rijavec, Michael Kurschat, Trent Worthingdon, and Eva Bostrand who lent their voices to some great music. Along with them The Edmonton Swiss Men’s Choir shared traditional Swiss melodies(not quite Vienna but close enough), and special Viennese Walzes were demonstrated by Jim and Theresa Jenkins.

The choir previewed some of the music they will be presenting at the concerts in Austria. With the music was a silent auction featuring some unique works of local artists. Special thanks to Ron Hislop(who attended Concordia in the 80's) host and producer of the local news on Citytv. Those who shared this evening had a great time and it helped he choir get into the mood for the trip a few weeks into the future. A special thanks to all who shared their gifts that helped make this evening such a success.