2019 France
La Ville-Lumière
July 3 to July 11 – The Mastersingers USA toured three cities in France: Paris, Rouen, and Chartres.
Day one began with an afternoon rehearsal at the American Church in Paris followed by a welcome dinner at Chez Francoise.
Day two included a morning and an afternoon rehearsal then off to the Seine for an evening river cruise.
Day three started with a morning rehearsal then we boarded our buses to our first concert at the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Rouen. Dinner was on our own in the city before heading back to Paris
Day four began with the annual meeting followed by a rehearsal. We boarded buses at 2:30 for our second concert of the tour at the American Cathedral in Paris.
Day five was a long one as we boarded our buses for Chartres at 12:30.
Upon arrival, we had a tour of the Cathedral by a very experienced guide. He told us he had been working as a guide for 62 years, while he admitted that fact was not important, it was impressive.
After our tour, there was an organ recital and we were free to explore the town. Many found a cafe to watch the Woman’s World Cup Championship game. We were on our own for dinner before our 9 PM concert at the Cathedral. It was a very successful performance before a full audience.
After the concert, we watched the evening light show before boarding our buses back to Paris. We arrive back at 1 AM.
Day six was a free day to explore Paris on our own. Many reports from members of walking way too much. At 9:30 PM there was an evening bus tour of the city provided by Witte Travel.
Day seven, after a free morning we had an early afternoon concert at the US Embassy and a 4 PM final concert at de la Madeleine.
Security logistics at the Embassy made entering tricky and lengthy. But once inside we had a fun short performance and it was appreciated by staff.
The final concert of our tour at de la Madeleine was our longest in front of another great audience.
Our Final day was another free day for our explorations of Paris. It ended with our farewell banquet.
P.S. These notes would be incomplete without mentioning that this tour was unique from past tours due to Bruce’s health. Kerry stepped into the void to lead our rehearsals and did the majority of the conducting. It was wonderful to have Bruce conducting a few pieces at our last couple of concerts.
To view more photos from this tour click here.