Day 14- Last Day!

It truly saddens me to know that this life changing adventure has now come to an end.  As we board to plane to come home tomorrow, I can't help but wish we were staying one more week.  The kids are ready to come home.. But they've grown so much as travellers, I'm sure they could last a few more days! 

Today was another truly amazing day, as we performed all the music we have been working so hard on for the past 5 days. The concert was held in the next town near where we were staying as we needed a big enough space to hold a choir of almost 100, and our audience.  The concert went extremely well, and I think the audience was very impressed- especially knowing that 30 people singing came all the way from Canada.  I wish all of our kid's parents could have been there to witness the magic! 

We didn't get the chance to take any pictures on the iPad today, as myself and most of the chaperones were in the dress rehearsal and concert ourselves.  We do however have some parents who did take lots of pictures, and we'll be happy to share them at a later date.

I just have to mention again how proud we are of every singer who came on is tour.  Coming across the world with a few friends and "new parents" for two weeks is a scary thing.  Watching our 7 and 8 year olds walk at least 2 kilometres a day (with minimal complaints) was so encouraging.  Watching our 9 and 10 year olds keep up the positive vibes in times of stress and frustration was really eye opening. And finally, our oldest girls kept a light and awesome attitude, helped with the little ones, and always kept our trust. So thank you, parents, for sending such wonderful children to take me to Austria.

On a final note, I need to recognize our incredible chaperones.  They gave up 2 weeks of their summer, their vacation, and time with their families to come and be parents, nurses, policemen, cabooses, ATMs, and so much more for our lovely choir.  I give credit for our smooth sailing throughout these two weeks to the chaperones.  They kept their cool during our few challenging moments - some ridiculous heat and humidity, hungry and/or tired kids, or that night when we got caught in a torrential downpour on the way home from a very long day.  They always put the kids first.  I'm so happy I got the chance to really get to know each chaperone- the trip wouldn't have been the same without their support! So thank you, Kathleen, Patricia, Joy, William and Krishna! 

When we are all home safe tomorrow, I will post some final pictures that didn't quite make it on the blog.  I hope you have enjoyed the Arioso Tour blog, I sure enjoyed writing every night, and reminding myself of how lucky I was to be apart of this tour myself.  Sleep well, and get ready for some serious hugs and kisses from your children.

-R.P

Day 13!

Hello!

Apologies for my mistake in the days for yesterday's blog post.. I guess this trip is going by faster than I thought!  Today was the last real day of camp, and the final concert for all the music we've been working on is tomorrow night.  Luckily today was an absolutely beautiful day so the kids had an awesome pool day after morning rehearsal.

After dinner we had our composition concert.  The final concert tomorrow afternoon is already scheduled to be three hours long... So it was best for us tom hear everyone's compositions tonight instead!  It was awesome to listen and see the kids performing in small groups, and singing their own work.  Here are some pics of the evening-

Yes even the ladies had to compose ;)

A crowd favourite was this group.  The girls don't know it yet, but this composition was one of the TWo that made it into the concert tomorrow! 

There were also some good laughs :)

And last but not least, a picture of Viktoria (Gerald's daughter) and me practicing for some improv we'll be doing in the concert as well... Here goes nothing! 

One last big day, and then time for home.  We are travelling to Vienna following the concert tomorrow afternoon. I will send a note when we are settled into the airport hotel. 

-R.P

Days 10&11

Hello all,

I decided to combine these two days because the days at camp are super fun, and the kids have settled nicely into the routine. In addition to two mass choir rehearsals per day, the kids have small group voice lessons everyday, as well as composition classes.  

On day 10 we all got to tie-dye a shirt with the Wirth Musik Academy logo!

AND a bonfire at the Wirth's house after dinner. We sang many camp songs and had lots of fun!

 

Day 11 was just as eventful as the kids got to race their boats they have been working on throughout the week down the creek near by. Some of our boats even made the finals!

No fun at all right? ;)

The day ended with a group dance party! We learned many Austrian and Greek circle dances which were great fun. Even the Canadians (me) threw in a classic line dance for the Europeans to learn.

It's sad to know that this amazing tour is almost over.  Good thing we're ending it with a bang!

See you soon.

-R.P

Day 10- More Camp Fun!

Today was another day of camp, filled with fun, music and making new friends.  The kids are now in the camp groove and understand how the days are to flow.  After dinner tonight the kids were part of a very intense treasure hunt with the other children, and I'm very proud to say that the main treasure after all the clues were out, was found by one of our own!

We were able to snap a few rehearsal pics so you can see what we do every morning and afternoon.

..that head is mine... ;)

The kids also got to on an hour long hike in the Austrian country side.  Beautiful scenery with cows included! The best part of the hike was stopping at a church that is more than 1200 years old! They went inside and got to sing in the magnificent space.  Gerald led Arioso in the song "Coming Together" that they sang all throughout the peace festival last week in Vienna.

The camp keeps getting better and better... Can't wait for the final concert.

Some treasure hunting pics too..

Our lovely first-aid station... Don't worry, they aren't over worked! (Not as nurses anyway. As parents? Always over worked! Mwahaha..)

More posting tomorrow! Off to bed.

-R.P

Day 9- First day of camp

Today was the first real day of camp! It was a lot of fun. I didn't realize how many kids would be here that are around the same age as Arioso.  Although they don't all speak the same language, our kids are making friends and having a blast.

The chaperones are even getting a good taste of camp which includes private voice lessons, choir rehearsal, composition class and even arts and crafts. It's been hard for me to take pictures as I am super involved myself.  We managed to snap a few shots at the end of the day when all the kids at camp played evening games.

Making friends

Our backward for the week.  So much beauty.

Update tomorrow as always!

-R.P

Day 8- Safely at camp!

It's nice to finally say that we didn't have an absolutely crazy day! We had a quick hour bus ride to our camp that's located in the beautiful Pielachtal Valley.  There will be many pictures throughout the week!  Once we got here the kids took full advantage of the hotel outdoor pool and trampoline. It was nice just to have some much deserved fun time.  I must admit I didn't get many pictures, mostly because I was worried about the safety of my iPad near the pool- and we were all on lifeguard duty. I also had a blast in the pool! 

The rest of the day was very relaxing as the kids had free time within the hotel.  We're just taking a breather from our hectic schedule, and it was much appreciated.  Tomorrow is the first day of camp! We are so excited for the kids to experience this camp with the all the wonderful staff that will be working with them.  They will take away so much- and I don't think they realize how much fun it will be!

I snapped a few shots at dinner.. Many smiling faces and full bellies.

Until tomorrow!

-R.P

Day 7- Enns! Oldest city of Austria

Today was another long but exciting day for the kids. We had a great time this morning in Salzburg- including seeing where Mozart was born and lived! It was really cool.  We saw Mozart's first violin, locks of his hair, and walked in his kitchen and living room. 

Salzburg castle in the back!

On our way to Enns we passed some beautiful scenery that had to be documented. 

Not everyone saw the scenery...

Arriving in Enns was very eye opening- it is one of the most beautiful little towns I've ever seen.  It is also the oldest town/city in Austria dating back to 800+ years ago.  It is known for a clock tower that started construction in the year 1212AC and finished in the early 1500s.  Here are some pics from our walking tour.

Inside the clock tower. Very steep stairs- everyone made it out alive ;)

 

At the top..

Before dinner we stopped at the town's Catholic Church and sang a few tunes just to see what they sounded like.  It was marvellous!

Finally we got the chance to shop at a local midieval festival that is currently going on.  It was quite the sight! The kids may bring some new toys home... ;)

Off to camp tomorrow! We (the chaperones) are especially excited...  We may have some "free time". Stay tuned for more blogging soon! 

-R.P