Voices in Harmony CONCERT TOUR OF DENMARK & NORWAY June 18-26, 2019 1
TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2019 DEPARTURE IN FLIGHT Depart from Boston on an overnight flight bound for Copenhagen. Select meals, snacks, and refreshments will be served on board the flight. Be sure to read through the great tips and travel information in your Music Contact International handbook! WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 WELCOME TO COPENHAGEN Afternoon arrival at the Copenhagen Airport. Welcome to Denmark! Your Music Contact International tour manager will greet your group at the arrivals hall in the airport. Together, board your waiting motor coach and meet your local English-speaking guide. Before embarking on a guided tour of Copenhagen, there were will be a stop for you to purchase lunch; much needed fuel after your long journey! On your panoramic tour of this historic city, see sites such as Charlottenborg, a 17th century Baroque palace that is home to the Royal Academy of Arts. Pass by the Nyhavn canal, where sailors and writers, including Hans Christian Andersen frequently spent time in the past. Today Nyhavn is very contemporary and is lined with sidewalk cafés. Christiansborg Palace is on the island of Slotsholmen, separated from the city only by a canal and the palace houses Denmark s National Government. Pass by the lovely Amalienborg Palace, and take a moment to enjoy the statue of Hans Christian Andersen s Little Mermaid, which sits unimposing atop the water in the quay. Following the tour transfer to your centrally located hotel and check in. Take time to unpack and refresh before joining the group for a special welcome dinner arranged for your choir at a local restaurant. Following dinner return to the hotel for the night. 2
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019 COPENHAGEN CONCERT* Enjoy breakfast in your hotel dining room. This morning is yours to explore Copenhagen as you wish! You may want to visit one of the many museums and attractions, including Tøjhusmuseet, the Arsenal Museum or Thorvaldsens Museum, which houses the sculptures created by Denmark s famous Bertel Thorvaldsen. Other impressive places to visit are the Royal Library, where Hans Chrisitan Andersen once applied to work but was, perhaps fortunately, denied. Possibly visit Rosenborg Castle, which is filled with many cultural treasures, including the crown jewels. Alternatively, Amalienborg Palace is a must for anyone intrigued by Danish royal history; consider planning your visit for noon and you will witness the famous daily changing of the Royal Guard, called Den Kongelige Livgarde. If time permits, a visit to Frederiksborg Castle might be of interest. This castle lies in the magnificent surroundings of Hillerod; visit to the Museum of National History, the Chapel and the Knight s Hall are nearby. Later this afternoon, Voices in Harmony will perform a concert in a memorable venue* in Copenhagen! This evening you may continue your independent pursuits in this Danish capital. Your tour manager would be happy to help with dinner locale suggestions. Consider the Tivoli Gardens, an historic amusement park founded in 1843. Tivoli served as inspiration to Hans Christian Anderson and Walt Disney with its captivating scenery of lush gardens and exotic architecture. It is recognized as a national treasure and proves to be one of the most popular sites in the city. Be sure to stay until dusk to see the twinkle of the park illuminated! FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019 KRONBORG CASTLE Wake up to a breakfast buffet in your hotel dining room this morning. Board your motor coach and head out on an exursion to the village of Elsinore and Kronborg Castle, the setting of Shakespere s play Hamlet. The hour-drive to the castle takes a beautiful route along the Øresund with views of the water and the quaint fishing villages doring the coast. In contrast, you will also pass some of the posh villas designed by reknowned architects like Arne Jacobsen. Upon arrival at Kronborg, enter the castle and begin a journey to discover its facinating history. Built between 1574 and 1585 to protect Danish interests, the castle also served toll booth for ships passing 3
through the narrow straits. Your local English-speaking guide will lead you on the Hamlet Tour of this famous Renaissance castle; walk in the footsteps of Hamlet and see Shakespeare s tragedy come to life! Following your Kronborg Castle tour, enjoy a bit of time on your own to explore the village of Elsinore, also called Helsingør. You may wish to visit the Danish Maritime Museum here, built by starchitect Bjarke Ingels at BIG. As the area around Kronborg Castle is UNESCO world heritage, the museum had to be designed in an appropriate way that would not restrict the view of Kronborg; discover the architect s unique solution! In the late afternoon, return to Copenhagen and the remainder of the day is yours to explore as you wish. Consider meandering through the shops on Strøget, the pedestrian shopping street in Copenhagen, for a memorable souvenier of your time in Denmark. Dinner is on your own this evening; afterward, return to your Copenhagen hotel and prepare for check out in the morning. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2019 WELCOME TO NORWAY Following breakfast in the hotel, check out and board your motor coach and transfer to Copenhagen Airport. With your MCI tour manager, check in to your Scandinavian Airlines flight bound for Stavanger, Norway. Upon landing at the Stavanger Airport, board your awaiting motor coach and transfer to the village center. Welcome to Norway! Enjoy free time for lunch before meeting your local English-speaking guide for a tour of Stavanger. Learn about about the city s history as the oil capital of Norway; together explore the stunning harbour and historic old town with cobblestone streets winding between white clapboard-sided houses. Following your guided tour, check in to your hotel in Stavanger and refresh. Tonight, a dinner has been organized for the group; enjoy an arrangement of local specialties to kick off the next chapter of your tour here in Norway! SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2019 LYSEFJORDEN & PULPIT ROCK FRIENDSHIP CONCERT* Enjoy a breakfast buffet served at your hotel. 4
This morning, take a short bus transfer to a boat waiting to cruise the waters of Lysefjorden, a stunning fjord that leads beneath the famous Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock. Lysefjorden, meaning light fjord, is named for the light-colored granite cliffs that line the fjord. Perhaps you will witness some of the daring BASE jumpers legally launching off the 1,982-foot cliffs! Following free time for lunch, Voices in Harmony has self-arranged a performance with a local Norwegian choir; your friends will be anxiously awaiting your visit and this beautiful exchange in music! Tonight, you are free to spend as you wish. Perhaps your new friends will share a local secret on where to dine for dinner! Return to your hotel in Stavanger this evening and prepare your luggage to check out in the morning. MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2019 BERGEN CONCERT* Wake up to an early breakfast served in your hotel dining room. Check out of your Stavanger hotel and board your motor coach ready to take the group to Bergen. There will be a stop en route to stretch your legs and purchase lunch. Upon arrival in Bergen, enjoy a guided city tour of Norway s second largest city. Situated on the inner reaches of the Byfjord, Bergen is surrounded by forest-covered mountains, orange-roofed houses and flowering hillsides. As a principal port city, Bergen houses a considerable merchant fleet and several large shipyards, and is also well known as a university town and cultural center. As you explore the medieval quarter known as the Bryggen, your local guide will regale you with the historic exploits of the Hanseatic League who used Bergen as the primary outpost for their vast trading empire. The streets here will make you think you have traveled back to the Middle Ages, as most of the architecture has been impeccably persevered or rebuilt as authentically as possible. You may also wind through the picturesque coastal neighborhood of Nordnes, where turn of the century wooden houses line cobblestone streets. Following the tour, your group will be treated to a visit to the Bergen Maritime Museum. It may even be possible for Voices in Harmony to perform an informal concert* on the museum grounds! Later, check in to your centrally-located Bergen hotel. Settle in and unpack; enjoy the remainder of the evening to explore Bergen on your own. Your tour manager would be happy to help with dinner suggestions! TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2019 FLAMSBANA CONCERT* 5
Breakfast is served in your hotel. This morning, hop aboard the scenic train from Bergen to Flam. The Bergensban train winds you into the mountains to the Myrdal station. From here, you embark on one of the most extraordinary and breathtaking train journeys in the world. The amazing engineering feat of the Flamsbana will take you from Myrdal down the mountainside on standard train tracks at 5.5% grade, descending approximately 2,600 feet to Flam. This train ride takes passengers on a scenic journey through 20 tunnels revealing stunning waterfalls and marvelous mountainous vistas at every turn! Disembark the train in Flam; enjoy free time to explore and find a spot for lunch at your leisure. Your motor coach will then transport your choir to the Troldhaugen, the elegant summer villa of composer Edvard Grieg who lived there from 1885 to 1907. Tour the residence and lovely gardens with a guide before attending a piano recital of Grieg s music in the adjacent concert hall. Voices in Harmony may be able to contribute to the performance! * Return to Bergen tonight for a festive farewell dinner; together enjoy an assortment of Norwegian specialties while you recount the wonderful memories made through your tour! Following dinner, return to your hotel and prepare for departure in the morning. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2019 BERGEN BOSTON IN FLIGHT After breakfast, check out of the hotel and depart for the Bergen Airport and your return flight to Boston. Select meals, snacks, and refreshments will be served on board the flight. Welcome home! *All concert opportunities proposed in this itinerary are pending final confirmation and availability at time of booking. Your group's final program will be determined by confirmed times and locations for concerts, workshops, lectures and other activities. Although your ensemble's exact itinerary will vary to accommodate performance schedules, the same type of concerts, activities and caliber of venue will be included in your ensemble's final concert tour program. *We will have the opportunity to stay with host families in Stavanger, Norway and a party with our new friends! 6