YPAS Tour in the news in Louisville

This story from Cambron Wright was printed in the Courier-Journal, in Louisville KY:

April 13, 2009

It began with Adam

I recently traveled with the YPAS (Youth Performing Arts School) choir through Spain and Portugal singing in beautiful cathedrals.

It was a perfect trip, but what will stick out most to me about the trip is the last night in the Plaza del Sol of Madrid.

About 60 Spanish high school students, who had huddled in the middle of the square, began cheering and chanting unfamiliar words with scattering shouts of "Olé!" They were jumping up and down and singing a song for all of Madrid to hear. Suddenly, my friend Adam, who is known for his long hair and penchant for oddities, looked at me, smiled and ran into the group and started jumping too. He was accepted with open arms. Adam and the Spanish students laughed, danced and chanted the song. Grinning, Adam came back and stood beside me. Soon, the Spanish students formed a cha-cha line and clapped and chanted yet another song. Adam looked at me and once again he took off running toward them. Only this time, I joined him. We were captured by the students' smiles, singing and dancing and that no consideration was given to the fact that we were Americans or that they were Spanish. It simply didn't matter.

Our choir had been told to meet in the square at 10:45, and that time had come. As our group was assembling, Adam started salsa dancing with one of our choir girls. Seeing this, the Spanish students couldn't resist; they all ran over to join the fun. The groups began to mix, conversing in Spanish and English, dancing wildly and laughing continuously. We sang for them. They sang for us. One Spanish boy even received a kiss from an American girl.

I don't think most members of either group knew why we all came together that night. Most, I suspect, simply were drawn by the pull of the crowd. But when I looked over at Adam, I knew that it all started because one person didn't care if he was the only one jumping up and down. Adam just wanted to dance.

Maestro in Madrid - Dr. Glasscock serenades the YPAS travelers on their last night on tour

Thank you Mr. Wright for uploading this video of Dr. Glasscock singing in Madrid.

Pictures, stories and videos wanted

Dear Members of the YPAS 2009 Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal, please send us your favorite pictures, comments about the hotels, foods, special events and most important the performances and venues. Remember this is YOUR TOUR BLOG and we can only add so much information and coverage while you you are the ones that experienced it all first hand. So please go ahead and post here directly, we enabled this option for all of you now, or email to ember@incantatotours.com and she will be glad to add the information here. You can also send us links to your virtual photo albums etc. As a special thank you for Maestro Glasscock, we will create a tour DVD and the more input from you we can get, the better this very special present for your very special director will be. Muchas gracias - your Incantato Tour Team

A poem for the YPAS Singers from the parents

This email reached us at Incantato on Sunday morning, Spanish time from Mrs. Heidi Schulz - Muchas gracias to all you parents, friends and family of the YPAS Touring Choir before, during and now after the 2009 Incantato Tour to Spain and Portugal, we truly appreciate the opportunity to work for your amazing organization. Warmest, for all of us at Incantato, Sandra
And here goes the email that concludes with a very special poem to the singers.

We are home, safe and sound and up early (imagine that) in Louisville.

Wanted to thank you for the excellent travel arrangements you coordinated for us all. The concert venues were fabulous, fun food and nice accommodations. I think what made it especially wonderful for us was our tour guides.

Katia was smart, witty, fun to listen to and so smart and informational. She was very helpful arranging our meetings with our friends in Madrid and always had a smile on her face. The couple of times I "rode" with Stefania, I felt she was great, also.

I wrote something, as some of us adults were saying we should sing to the kids, however, there was never enough time to "practice" so I just wrote this poem on the long stretches of the bus trip. I read it on our way to the airport and Susan suggested I send it to the blog. Here it is...

And now it's time for the adults to sing,

to prove we're just not on some European fling.

We've all enjoyed your performances so much,

watching you and your talent obviously rubbed off on us.

The plane trip here was uneventful; Thank goodness!

In Madrid, Katia and Stefania rounded us zombies on our bus.

The sun our first day lulled us with it's heat.

But, the next three days we were cold from our heads to our feet.

Regardless we did "Panoramics" of Segovia and Leon,

and we ate lunch watching little snow flurries in a storm.

The Alcazar castle was awesome and it's knight's looked so small,

They obviously didn't eat like us Americans, at all.

Speaking of food, our breakfasts have been grand.

Yogurts, cheeses, croissants and Bellota ham!

Segovia's aquaduct was incredibly photogenic.

The Romans certainly devised a time proven technique.

Oveido's guide, Rene, made us all very curious.

By the time we left we knew we were in the "Principality of Asturias!"

Meeting Sandra and fam in Santiago was a special treat.

But eating food there, for some, was a bit of a feat.

So glad the squid there was in it's own ink,

If it was in someone else's, no doubt it would stink.

Santiago de Compostela's alter was as Katia would say, "WOW!"

Smelly pilgrims to Saint Jaime's still arrive and do bow.

The portico apostle statue there had a smile on his face,

Titty cheese must've been something he could just taste.

The hilly town of Lisbon was wonderful to see.

Boats, shopping, mild climate and lots of history.

The final concert at Basillica Estrella led by Dr. Glasscock,

Proves that these students are so very well taught.

Yes, this isn't a song we're so sorry to say,

But it's the best we can do in our own untalented way.

Now it's time to say good bye to Spain, Portugal, Sabino and our bus,

But it's comforting to know that this all is now, a part of us!

Gracias and Hasta luego!

Heidi

YPAS 2009 Performance Tour Day 10 from Tour Reporter Hannah Landgrave

April 4, 2009
Madrid to Louisville

The seniors left the hotel at 7:30 and the others left the hotel at 8:30. Everyone got checked in and through security and everything was going well. The 2^nd group got to the gate at about 10:30, in time to see the seniors board their plane to JFK. The 2^nd group was supposed to depart Madrid at 11:30 and land in Atlanta at 315. Unfortunately, the plane was first delayed until 12:30 because of mechanical problems. Once it got to 1230 they delayed the plane again until 1:30 and at that point we weren’t even sure if we were going to get out of Madrid. We finally boarded the plane and departed for Atlanta at 2, but we were worried about if we were going to make our connection in Atlanta at 540. We emailed Sandra from Incantato Tours about what we could do if we were to miss our flight in Atlanta. Getting to the gate in Atlanta at 5 was stressful because we still had to go through customs and security. We all got off the plane and ran to baggage claim where the carousel hadn’t even started moving yet, and didn’t start moving until 5:30. Delta had delayed our departure until 6:15. Once we got the whole group together they said that they were going to let us go through the line to turn in our forms a different way which would “make things faster,” but it actually ended up that everyone else in the line got through first. They split us up going through security and so once people got through they just assumed that we were still departing from the original gate and they left towards Terminal A. It turned out that our gate had been changed to B25 and so some people had gone to the wrong gate. Delta held the plane, but by the time everyone got there it was about 7. We then called and left a message for the seniors telling them to leave Cincinnati without us because we were going to be so late. We departed at 7:10 and arrived around 8:15, and by the time we got our luggage and got to the bus it was 9. We arrived in the Oxmoor parking lot around 10:30, all tired and worn out from the stressful day. The seniors had already made it home safely.

Impressions from the last day of the YPAS 2009 Performance Tour

Mr. Tim Landgrave kindly shared these pictures from the traveler's last evening in Madrid with us before the groups boarded their planes home. Safe travels everyone!

YPAS 2009 Performance Tour Day 9 from Tour Reporter Dylan Gerlach

APRIL 3
Lisbon and Madrid

It was a different mood as we all woke up on the morning of April 3rd. We knew it was the last full day and we could feel the weird tension in the air. It was sad to experience our last full day in the wonderful countries of Spain and Portugal. We packed up and headed out of Lisbon and back to Madrid. The bus trip was about 7 hours and felt extremely long. Although, the bus trips were probably one of the most fun parts of the whole experience. This is true because the bus is where we could see the most of what the two countries had to offer. We could also bond with our fellow classmates and share much laughter.

As we arrived in Madrid after the long trip, we found out that our last performance had been canceled (annotation from Incantato: The choir was invited to sing two songs during High Mass at La Almudena Cathedral, but Dr. Glasscock agreed with tour manager Katia that it would have been too stressfull - especially after the highlight concert the night before). This was kind of exciting knowing that our official last concert was something we went out well on. Something I really wanted to see in Madrid was the Prado museum. At first, this museum wasn't on our itinerary but due to the canceled concert, we were lucky enough to rush over and see it. In Spanish class, we have been learning all about Spanish artists such as Goya, Velazquez, Murillo and others. It was amazing to see these artists work firsthand in the second most important art museum in the world following the Louvre.

After rushing back from the Prado, we changed our clothes and headed off to the farewell dinner. The dinner began with bread, something we were fortunate enough to have tons of at every meal. The next course included Paella, a dinner with rice, seafood and other assorted meats. This was definitely in the top 3 dinners of the whole trip. The lights went down and the Flamenco show began. It was amazing seeing them dance and us shouting OLAY and CALIENTE.

After the dinner and show, Maestro Glasscock surprised us with free time in the Main square of Madrid. We were pushed into singing one last time for another group of students that we met and began playing around with. Last and most importantly, Dr. Glasscock embraced us with a beautiful Italian song that he sang in the Main Square. It was spectacular hearing our director sing and share his beautiful talent. The last day was definitely a good end to one of the most amazing weeks in my life. The trip to Spain and Portugal was so enriching and unique, something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

YPAS Lisbon Concert: "The performance was wonderful and uplifting"

Buenos Dias! I, Ember just got off the phone with Mrs. Laura Landgrave who was in the midst of finishing her supper. I was able to briefly get an update on how she felt about the second formal highlight concert on April 2 at the Estrela Basilica in Lisbon.
Mrs. Landgrave raved about how beautiful the venue was and also how beautifully the choir's voice rang in the acoustics. "The performance was wonderful and uplifting", she said.
She also mentioned that Dr. Glasscock was impressed with how friendly and gracious the Priest was with the choir.
More updates to come from the students' perspective soon!

A personal highlight: About the YPAS Choir's impromptu performance at the Oviedo Cathedral - from Tim Landgrave

This blog entry is from a parent, Mr. Tim Landgrave who joined the YPAS Touring Concert Choir on its 2009 Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal. He shares his sentiments about an unexpected magic moment here. Incantato Tour Manager Katia had managed to get the singers from Kentucky permission to sing in a beautiful place that is usually SILENT.

Tim Landgrave: The YPAS Choir’s impromptu performance at the Cathedral at Oviedo

Awe. Amazement. Humility. Shame. I found it difficult to suppress these feelings as I walked the halls, paused to meditate and listened to the stories of the souls immortalized on the walls and in the whispers of the Cathedral in Oviedo. Tucked away in a quiet town in Northern Spain, the grand Cathedral is ensconced in myriad architectures from Gothic to Romanesque to Baroque. Its façade chronicles the building’s will to survive centuries of storms both politic and natural in order to preserve the memory of the saints whose sacrifices it was built to protect.

Ornate wood carvings with inlaid Gold bellowed the now well-known stories of Jesus and his apostles. But the simple sculptures on the outer walls of the Cathedral whispered the tales of dedicated men, women and children who stood against those who strove to suffocate the Christian rebellion. Whom the Romans couldn’t silence through intimidation they attempted to snuff out through incredible acts of public cruelty. In one simple shrine, the Cathedral’s walls detailed the story of a thirteen-year old girl who chose to be burned at the stake rather than renounce the Creator she chose to serve. As adults who daily choose convenience over conviction we cannot continue to claim our faith without feeling both humility and shame when we are reminded of the sacrifices this child and many others like her have made through the centuries so that we may choose whether to follow their example.

I sat quietly, meditating on these thoughts, in the same chapel where His sacrament had been taken for centuries. As I bowed my head, I heard the voice of the YPAS Choir raising the same Latin prayers that priests, pilgrims and paupers had come to offer for over a thousand years. Their individual voices were sacrificed for the greater beauty of a sound that would be pleasing to their Creator. As the last echoes of their offering evaporated from the chapel I reflected with awe and amazement at the swift transition from the cacophony of shuffling feet and muffled voices that transformed in a matter of seconds to an impromptu prayer in song delivered by those whose ages mirror their martyred ancestor. My prayer for them is that the fire intended to muffle her voice will become a fire of personal conviction that amplifies theirs.

YPAS 2009 Performance Tour concludes with a fantastic farewell - Paella and Flamenco in Madrid

As the singers, their friends and family travel from Lisbon to Spain, they sure have again something to look forward too: their farewell party in Madrid. We don't want to tell you too much, but have a look at the dinner place for the last supper of the 2009 Incantato Performance Tour: a traditional Flamenco restaurant. Check out the following clips we found on Youtube: Flamenco 1, Flamenco 2. They better brought their dancing shoes!!!

YPAS 2009 Performance Tour Day 8 from Tour Reporter Reese Jones

April 2, 2009
LISBON

Today we woke up in Lisbon. Lisbon is a really cool town. It’s the largest city in Portugal and to most people, the most fun to visit. Nearly all the streets in the old part of Lisbon are covered with smooth, white tiles, and in between the two lanes of the streets are areas with paths, fountains, and lots trees. This part of town is really beautiful but not many people want to live there due to the old building’s structure. The old buildings often cannot handle enough electricity to run major appliances such as dryers and washers, and microwaves. Also, since most of the buildings are from the 17th century, they require a lot of work and upkeep.

Today we started the day with a panoramic tour. The city has everything from ancient aqueducts to brand new Armani shops to more street vendors than you can imagine. There were about three or four guys on the same street playing the accordion; one of the guys had a little Chihuahua on his shoulder holding a cup for money. We sang three times today and there were so many different churches we sang in we only remember a few names. We think we sang in the Estrela Basilica and two others. The main streets for shopping were filled with people selling paintings of the trolleys, little light up rings, and scarves and sun glasses. They were selling Versace sun glasses for two Euros. The weather was perfect, about sixty-five with a slight breeze. For dinner we went to a little street side restaurant. We had a dish made from Bacalao, a dried and salted cod. Everyone enjoyed their time during the day shopping and enjoying the streets of Lisbon.

Finale YPAS Choir Concert in Lisbon a very moving experience for all

Just a quick update as we rather wait for the student tour reporters to tell you how it all went from his/her perspective. The second highlight concert for the YPAS Touring Concert Choir on April 2, 2009 at the Basilica da Estrela was a success.
While the audience turnout was not as spectacular as it was for the Oviedo concert despite announcements on the radio and in the local media, the singers and Dr. Glasscock thoroughly enjoyed the venue and its marvelous acoustics. The choir made such a good impression on the local Priest that he decided to cancel his plans for the evening and stay for the full event.
It was a very emotional concert, especially for the seniors and it was reported to me that many eyes teared up as the choir sang their finale concert during the 2009 YPAS Incantato Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal. More info will follow.

Two performances for YPAS Choir in Portugal - High Mass at the Lisbon Cathedral and another highlight concert at the Basilica de la Estrela

For more information on the two beautiful and prestigious venues, click the following links:
Sé de Lisboa - Lisbon Cathedral
Basilica da Estrela

Compliments for YPAS and Joven Coro

The recording on "A Song Of Eternal Love" receives quite some attention on Youtube and the first commentaries/compliments were already posted. Here is a direct link to the high resolution video:


And for those of you that cannot access Youtube, here is what two people say and one of them gave the choirs a five star rating.

Luxilla: O.o Perfect!! me encantó vuestro concierto ^^
DressOviedo: Nice performance guys!

YPAS 2009 Performance Tour Day 7 from Tour Reporter Sara Gossmann

4/1/09

Oporto and Lisbon

We had yet another early morning, in which we got up and had another fabulous breakfast. Surprisingly they don’t seem to have much fruit in Spain, but this hotel had a lovely selection of fruit as well as juices and coffee. We departed for Oporto, which in Portuguese is also known as simply Porto. We took a guided tour of the city, which was a little overwhelming but the best part was seeing the train station. We also got the opportunity to see a wonderful view of Porto.

After this we took a break drove to the beach for free time and lunch. I ate at a nice restaurant on the coast and had a wonderful fruit salad which was set in orange juice. This was the first time I had ever seen the Atlantic Ocean. It was even more gorgeous than I expected. The water was a little on the cold side so no one really got the opportunity to go swimming. We met back up then departed for Lisbon.

The bus ride from Porto to Lisbon, also known as Lisboa was four and a half hours. I tried to sleep most of the time but it was nearly impossible. When we finally arrived we ate at a little restaurant. They served us wonderful tapas, a cod main dish, and for desert a fruit salad. This was a big surprise and I personally enjoyed it. Soon after we checked into the hotel and got to enjoy time to ourselves.