Youth Performing Arts School Touring Choir Concert Announcement on the Internet

Dear travelers of the Youth Performing Arts School Touring Choir,
Please check out the concert announcement about your performance at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna on Wednesday, April 6 at www.kunstkultur.com!

Incantato Hotel: Olšanka in Prague (April 10)

After spending the nights on the ship, the travelers of the Youth Performing Arts School Touring Concert Choir will stay at Hotel Olšanka in Prague on April 10. The Congress & Sport Hotel (3 stars) is situated just a few minutes away from the historical centre of Prague. It offers 253 guest rooms, various restaurants, bars, a wellness and fitness centre. And: a shopping mall (Palace Flora) is not far away.

New additions to your Incantato Tour Blog!

Dear YPAS travelers,
We have added some new, important, and exciting information to your Incantato Performance Tour Blog. Please click the links below to learn more about your upcoming journey. Be sure to check back regularly for further updates and browse the rest of the blog for fun destination information.

Travel information:

• Updated tour itinerary
• Flight schedules
• Insurance information
• Map of tour route
• Travel Tips: What to pack?
• Travel Tips: Money matters
• Travel Tips: High voltage
• Travel Tips: Use of cell phones
• Travel Tips: Frequently asked questions
  

Confirmed performance venues:

• Church of Holy Corps, Cesky Krumlov
• Stephansdom, Vienna (for info about the organ, please click here)
  
• Dürnstein Monastery
• Schweiklberg Abbey, Vilshofen
• Exchange/recital in Bratislava
  

Accommodations:

• MS Amalyra

Enjoy the YPAS Tour blog? Then become a follower and never miss an update

Dear Singers, Family and Friends of the Youth Performing Arts School Touring Concert Choir, we sure hope you enjoy the blog and recommend that you become a follower by clicking on the respective option in the right side bar of this webpage. As a follower, you will never miss an update and once the group heads over to Europe there should be lots of news coming your way. You can also leave comments which are like virtual greetings. Our tour team will pass those messages to the travelers on tour whenever possible. Everyone at Incantato Tours wishes you well as you prepare for this exciting journey under the leadership of Dr. S. Timothy Glasscock.

Incantato Tour Sight: Schubert's Birthplace in Vienna

The birthplace of Franz Schubert is a modest two-storey house on Nussdorfer Strasse in Vienna. Born there on January 31st 1797, the composer spent four and a half years in this house before he moved with his family within the city. Exhibits include paintings, drawings and first editions of his works, as well as the composer’s guitar and his spectacles - which he often never removed at night so his music writing could begin immediately upon waking. The delightful courtyard presents concerts, typically Schubert programes during the summer months. To learn more about Franz Schubert, please click here.

Want to be a tour reporter? - Apply now

Hello singers, this is a special offer for you.
Want to earn some extra tour spending money? Do you like to write?
An Incantato scholarship has been made available to give students a little extra spending money while they are overseas. All that we ask is that you post pictures and write a few blogs about your experiences during your YPAS tour. You can be a reporter for just one day or several days. The daily time commitment will be at least an hour.
If you are interested, write 150 words as to why you are looking forward to your travels with your group and please use a quote from another student.
Submit your entry to Dr. Glasscock and e-mail us a copy by February 22^nd. If you have any other questions or need advice, please contact Ember at – ember@incantatotours.com

Here are some ideas for blogging while you are overseas.

• Your flight overseas, how was it?
• Your first impressions of the land, is it flat? Are you close to the beach?
• Your hotel, what does it look like? How is it different from a typical American hotel?
• What kind of activities did you do and what did you learn?
• What is a typical dish of that region?
• How difficult is it to understand the language?
• Did you have any special cultural exchanges?
• How did you feel during your performances?
• How did the music move you in that venue?
• What did the cathedrals, churches look like and what period were they built in?

There are so many topics to touch on, please use your imagination.

Tour Participants as of January 23, 2009 (Group A)

Below is a list of the current tour participants. Kindly check your name and let us know via email to info@incantato.net if it is misspelled. Thanks a lot and have a great day.

GROUP A

Last Name, First Name(s)

Bensing, Jeremy
Bickett, Joseph Allan
Bickett, Kimberly Burkhardt
Bickett, Victoria Elizabeth
Bickett, Zachary Joseph
Burchard, James
Childress, Matthew
Dahmer, Adam
Fenton, Karen Haswell
Fenton, Robert Ellis
Fenton, Thomas
Fisher, Holly Kathryn
Gerlach, Dylan Nathanael
Glasscock, Timothy
Grasberger, Amy
Hilkey, Betsy A
Hilkey, Julia M
Kincaid, Shelby Turnage
Lane, Elliot
Martin, Cassandra Beth
Mingo, Joel
Niemann, Douglas Charles
Plappert, Cathy Jo
Plappert, James Lesley
Plappert, Jordan Lesley
Plappert, Steven Bradley
Rothbauer, Carey Lynn
Rothbauer, Leonila Gaddi
Rothbauer, Samantha Toledo
Schafer, Michael Anthony
Schafer, Susan Wesley
Schafer, Wesley Michael
Schulz, Garth
Schulz, Heidi
Schulz, Kenneth Milton
Schulz, Logan Sahs
Smith, Abigail Gordon
Smith, Audrey Parker
Smith, Catherine Waddle
Stacy, Sierra
Waddle, Leslie Ellen
Wagner, Jacqueline Diane
Wagner, James Douglas
Wagner, John Douglas
Wagner, Laura Hughes
Wright, Cambron L
Wright, Deborah S
Wright, James A

Tour Participants as of January 23, 2009 (Group B)

Let us know if there are any spelling errors and if you notice someone isn't on either list (A or B).

GROUP B 37 seats

Last, First name.

Adams, Jordan
Blackwell, Rebecca
Bradford, William
Diamond, Jennifer
Evans, Bonny
Ford, Christina
Ford, Michelle
Furnish, Anne
Furnish, Emily
Furnish, Gregory
Gonzales, Conner
Gossman, Sara
Graves, Angelique
Holloway, Connor
Huber, Caitlin
Johns, Christopher
Johns, Reece
King, Kayla
King, Kylie
King, Valerie
Kinman, Lili
Landgrave, Hannah
Landgrave, John
Landgrave, Laura
McKenney, Kerry
Medeiros, David
Medeiros, Paul B.
Pouranfar, Jessica
Putlak, Shelby
Quinkert, Timothy
Roney, David
Roney, Sarah
Rowton-Gonzales, Angela
Shaffo, Jennifer
Smith, Christina
Smith, Laura
Suh, Elizabeth

Your homes away from home

And here we go - a list and links to the YPAS 2009 Spain & Portugal Performance Tour Hotels. Together with your head tour manager Katia, our hospitality managers researched, inspected and booked the following hotels. We surely hope you enjoy learning about your homes away from home by visiting the websites. While the tour pricing was based on quality three star hotels, we managed to upgrade your group to four star hotels in all but one place, namely Oviedo and while the hotel is not as fancy as the others, it is still safe and clean with the biggest plus being its great central location. So enough said, have a look at the listing below and we surely hope you are pleased. And don't forget to pack your bathing suits, to make good use of the swimming pools!!!

Madrid: Hotel Florida Norte

Segovia: Hotel Husa Puerta de Segovia

Oviedo: Hotel Astures

Santiago: Hotel Hesperia Peregrino

Lisboa: Novotel

Flight Intineraries

Below are the YPAS flight itineraries for the 2009 Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal. As of 1/23/09 there have been some modifications made to your itinerary.

GROUP A (currently 48 passengers) to Europe

Delta Airlines (DL 1709) will depart Thursday, March 26^th from Cincinnati, OH at 2:20pm and will arrive in Atlanta, GA at 3:59pm. Change planes: 6:40 pm (DL108) departure from Atlanta, GA and arrival in Madrid, Spain at 8:15 am on Friday, March 27^th.

Group A to USA

Delta Airlines (DL 127) will depart Saturday, April 4^th from Madrid, Spain at 11:00am and will arrive in New York City at 1:15pm. Change planes: 4:25 pm (DL 141) will depart New York City and will arrive in Cincinnati, OH at 6:56 pm-Saturday, April 4^th.

Group B (currently 37 passengers) to Europe

Delta Airlines (DL 136) will depart Thursday, March 26^th from Cincinnati, OH at 4:40pm and will arrive in Atlanta, GA at 7:10pm. Change planes: 9:15pm (DL 126) departs from Atlanta, GA and will arrive in Madrid 9:45am- Friday, March 27^th.

Group B to USA

Delta Airline (DL 109) will depart Saturday, April 4^th from Madrid, Spain at 11:30am and will arrive in Atlanta GA at 3:15pm. Change planes: 5:50pm (DL 056) departs from Atlanta, GA and will arrive in Cincinnati, OH at 7:20pm-Saturday, April 4^th.

Itinerary
DAY 1 Thursday, March 26
Overnight flight to Madrid

DAY 2 Friday, March 27
Bienvenidos to Spain
Meet your Incantato Tour Manager and driver at the airport. Then enjoy a guided tour of Madrid’s highlights with a local guide followed by a welcome luncheon. Overnight in Madrid.

DAY 3 Saturday, March 28
Madrid & Segovia
After a recital at the spectacular Almudena Cathedral, explore nearby Segovia -. a stunning ancient town perched high upon a hill.

DAY 4 Sunday, March 29
Via Léon to Oviedo - Concert
Head north with a stop in León (possible recital at the Cathedral), before visiting the ancient capital of Christian Spain, Oviedo and presenting your first formal concert.

DAY 5 Monday, March 30
Vamos a la Playa & Santiago
Experience glorious vistas along the Costa Verde and take a dip in the ocean at a lovely Spanish Beach with a stop in the charming fishing village of Cudillero before
heading to Santiago de Compostela.

DAY 6 Tuesday, March 31
Santiago in-depth - Mass
Sing for an audience of 1500+ at High Mass followed by a guided sightseeing tour of Santiago di Compostela - one of Spain’s most remarkable cities.

DAY 7 Wednesday, April 1
The Portuguese North
Cross the border to Portugal and stop in the picturesque old fishing town of Viana do Castelo and/or Oporto, the capital of the North, prior to arriving in Lisbon in the early evening.

DAY 8 Thursday, April 2
Lisbon in-depth - Concert
Guided city tour of Lisbon’s many highlights with a local guide. Second formal tour
concert this evening.

DAY 9 Friday, April 3
Leisure Day & Farewell Dinner
Depending on the flight schedule, enjoy a leisure day in Lisbon or take the scenic route back to Madrid. Your tour concludes with a sumptuous farewell dinner party featuring
local specialties and entertainment.

DAY 10 Saturday, April 4
Flight to USA or optional
Extension to Andalucia
Return home with memories to
last a lifetime. Or embark on an optional extension to experience the sights and flavors
of Toledo and Sevilla while possibly staying in traditional Spanish Paradores known for outstanding hospitality and exceptional
local cuisine. A minimum of 15 participants is needed for the extension.

Passport Procedure

It's easy to get a passport and you need it for traveling with YPAS to Spain and Portugal in the spring of 2009. Here are a couple websites you can visit to get information to apply for your passport such as the US State Department . You may also go to your local post office and fill out an application there. Remember to send Incantato a copy of you passport.

Good Luck!!! This is the beginning of a wonderful journey you will experience this year!

Payment and Cancellation Schedules

Payment Schedule:

Deposit of $250 per traveler is due in office 9/5/2008
2nd payment of $750 due 10/15/2008 - extended to 10/22/2008

3^rd payment $1250 due 11/30/2008

Final Balance (incl. all surcharges) due 1/15/2009.
No invoices will be sent to tour participants for the first three payments. A statement with the final balance will be send to each tour participant as well as the tour director/tour coordinator prior to the last payment being due.

Cancellation Schedule:

$100 of the deposit are non-refundable. The cancellation fee per person is $250 up to 180 days before departure (9/27/2008), $500 (179 to 121 days, 11/25/2008), $1000 (120 to 91 days, 12/25/2008), $1500 (90 to 61 days, 1/24/2009),

All payments are non-refundable 60 to 0 days before departure. In addition to the charges above, the passenger will be charged any penalties incurred by Incantato from the airlines and other suppliers due to a cancellation.