Sorry we couldn't write last night. Wifi is tricky at best. We got to Prague after a 6 hour bus ride and went directly to Smetana Hall to warm up. We shared the concert with the New Brunswick (Canada) Youth Orchestra and they put on a great first half of the concert. Our concert was over the top fantastic. The progress the orchestra has made over the course of this tour is unbelievable. Mr. Grogan said he was able to add nuances during the performance that he would normally only be able to do with a professional orchestra! From first note to last, they excelled in every way! The house was packed with local people and they jumped to their feet after the final chord of the Tchaik 5. They were thrilled with the first encore, the Dvorak Slavonic Dance and started to applaud once they heard the first several notes.

Following a post-concert dinner, we were able to check into the hotel. Today we had a great walking tour of Prague which is a truly beautiful and historic city, as well as being a very musically sophisticated city. We had our final dinner back at the hotel and in just a few hours will be getting ready to head back to New Jersey!

This has been a wonderful tour...there are not enough superlatives to express the high level of playing and commitment by the orchestra, as well as their good nature and flexibility throughout the tour. It's been a great trip!

What a glorious day! Too tired to write a lot. But we saw the cemetery where Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert and so many more are buried on our way to the Konzerthaus. We got there around 2pm for the beginning of all the festivities. The concert started at 6pm. NJYS rocked! We received an instantaneous standing ovation! The energy from the musicians was palpable and the audience, mostly of the other groups, was so appreciative! It was a wonderful experience. After the concert, we all went to the Imperial Palace (the palace!!!!) for a buffet dinner, awards presentation, and after a few Viennese waltzes, a fun dance party. It was wonderful to see all the musicians from so many different countries and cultures enjoying themselves so fully.

Tomorrow morning we head off to Prague -- a six hour bus ride, and to our final concert in Smetana Hall.

We won!!

We won!!! Actually, we tied for first with the West Lake Youth Orchestra from New Zealand! The orchestra sounded phenomenal at the Musikverein...it was a wall of sound, and so lush and warm. Having the orchestra on these fairly steep risers makes such a difference! Listening to the groups who performed ahead of us, you could tell there was a fantastic reverberation, and when NJYS got on the stage after several string-only orchestras, the sound was unlike any other. They played Candide Overture, Beethoven Symphony No. 1, Finale, and Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5, Finale. The judges all commented on the excellent programming, and the beautiful sound of the orchestra.

Immediately following the competition audition, we boarded the bus to go to Pottsching... a venue similar to the Marlboro Music Festival and Maverick Festival venues. A rustic and charming old barn, and, again, the orchestra sounded fantastic! Candide and the entire Tchaik five, were followed by two encores: Dvorak Slavonic Dance #8 and Stars and Stripes. The audience was so enthusiastic!

This morning we traveled to the University of Vienna Music Department and were coached by two of the judges: Georg Mark and Aleksandr Markovic (http://www.sclfestival.org/jury.htm) who had fantastic suggestions for making what was sounding great, sound even better. It was a terrific opportunity to work with these renowned conductors.

After some free time and rest we are off to the MuTh (Music and Theater) which is a new venue built for the Vienna Boys Choir. We will perform the Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis and have a late dinner following the concert. Tomorrow will be a big day with some rehearsing, a little sight-seeing and then going to the Konzerhaus for sound check and festivities surrounding the Gala Winners Concert!!

(PS: We just got back from the MuTh concert and dinner which were both wonderful.)

Hello everyone!
It's been a very busy couple of days. We are in Vienna now, and finally have reliable Wi-Fi! Yesterday, we started with a concert by our own three Advanced Chamber Ensembles. The Brass Quintet, Woodwind Quintet, and String Quartet did a concert for their friends in the orchestra in a lovely room at the University in Salzburg. Afterwards we had time to tour Salzburg, most of us venturing up to the fortress for amazing views of the city. Then back on the bus for the Sound of Music tour on our way to Gmunden (about an hour from Salzburg) for a concert hosted by a local choral group. We were very warmly welcomed, but completely surprised when we saw how many steps there were to the theater entrance--loading and unloading all the (very heavy percussion) instruments was a real challenge, and we are so grateful to the students, the chaperones, and the members of the shadow tour who helped us with the load in and out!

This morning we had an early start as we began the trip to Vienna. We stopped on the way at a fabulous road-side restaurant--nothing like the highway stops in the USA! Lots of fresh food made to order and a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside.

Once in center-city Vienna, we made our way to St. Stephen's Cathedral for the opening ceremonies of the Summa Cum Laude Festival. It was almost like the Olympics and we were happy to be represented by trumpet-section member Bret Magnolia who introduced NJYS to all the other participating groups--32 groups from 14 countries!

Tomorrow, some more sight-seeing, rehearsal and preparation for the big competition day on Sunday. We'll be competing from 3:35 - 4:05 Sunday afternoon--that should 9:35 Eastern Daylight Time, so cross fingers and send positive vibes for us! We will find out the results on Sunday evening.

Hello all, it's been a long day, but a good one! We had a fine flight that left and arrived on time in Munich. We met our guides Sebastian and Bridgette who helped us get money from the ATM, and got us and all our instruments (all arrived unscathed!) on the the bus and the trailer (it's called a hanger, as in hanger-on). It was a long drive to Salzburg with a stop for lunch on the way, and by the time we got there for our 3.5 hour walking tour it was raining pretty steadily.

But that didn't dampen our spirits (tired as some of us were). We walked around Salzburg, saw the Mirabelle Gardens, went to the Mozart Museum and then on the the magnificent Dom (cathedral) surrounded by beautiful gardens and vistas.

Then back to check in a the hotel and a traditional German dinner of Weiner Schnitzel and chocolate torte with lots of schlag (cream).

Tomorrow we start out with a concert by our Advanced Chamber Ensembles for the rest of the orchestra and our shadow tour companions, a Sound Of Music tour and some time for shopping and getting the feel of this lovely city before we head off for a sound check and our first concert! It's supposed to be sunny and lovely tomorrow and we will be happy for that!

We're having some technical difficulty, but here are a few photos from the boarding process and on the plane.

More later...

We are so excited for our trip; can you believe we leave tomorrow?! Don't be late.....

Newark International Airport: 

Terminal B. Level 3, Door 7. Lufthansa Economy Check-In at 5 PM!

Make sure to go to all 3 Check Points before boarding: 

Check Point 1: Check-in with Stacy

Check Point 2: Check-in after security check with Ms. Paine

Check Point 3: Check-In at Gate with Stacy 

NJYS Farewell Concert with over 100 attendees!

Our Farewell Concert was fantastic! Thank you to everyone for attending and making us feel so loved. We are ready to win in Vienna! We will see everyone at the airport at 5 PM on Tuesday....don't be late!