From July 9-19, a group of Sanctuary Choir members and friends traveled to Austria and Hungary to share music and memories with one another and the world around us. Our travel group consisted of 38 people, including a choir of 32, Yuri McCoy (organist), myself (conductor), and four of our biggest fans. Leading up to the trip, we rehearsed on Sunday afternoons to prepare a concert’s worth of music. In Europe, it is extremely rare to find pianos in churches, so our concert repertoire consisted exclusively of pieces that were a cappella or accompanied by the organ. The concert also included a few vocal and organ solos.
To start our trip, we flew into Munich and quickly made our way to Salzburg, where we experienced the city of Mozart and Maria Von Trapp under the incredible backdrop of the Salzburg Alps. We sang in the Salzburg Dom as part of their Sunday morning mass. From Salzburg, we traveled to Vienna, performing concerts in St. Peter’s at the center of the city, and in the small town of Krems-Stein about an hour outside of the city. These two concerts gave us a compelling contrast in the beauty of majestic spaces and the beauty of simplicity. After Vienna, we went to Budapest, singing in the incomparable St. Matthias Church and ending our trip with a dinner cruise on the Danube River.
This trip allowed our Sanctuary Choir to sing beyond our church walls and share our music with listeners abroad. Our tour company promoted our concerts so well that we had full audiences for every concert. It gave us a chance to build bonds with one another and to do so intergenerationally (from high school-aged to far beyond!). Paul encourages us in Colossians 3:16 to “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” The message of Christ dwelt among our group through singing and through being with one another — gratitude abounds in my heart, and I look forward to traveling with this group again soon.
Thoughts from the Choir:
If I had to sum up my thoughts about the choir tour in one word, it would be “connections." Before we left, I had been thinking about how to form deeper connections with the people on the trip. Many were people I knew only by name, or perhaps by whether they sang bass, tenor, or another part. I wanted to discover connections beyond those basics. So we made a point of sitting with different people at meals and getting to know them better. It worked! We did not get to sit with everyone, but we found meaningful connections with many in our group.
For example, while talking with Alyssa Carter, we mentioned that we had moved to Houston from Mississippi. She said her grandfather was from a small town there, and when I asked which one, she said Foxworth. I knew exactly where that was, because we drove through Foxworth every time we traveled from Hattiesburg to Houston. That simple conversation gave us a connection beyond being acquaintances at church.
Choir rehearsals do not leave much time to build those kinds of relationships. Now, because of the trip, I have a foundation to build on with several choir members I would not have had otherwise.
— Kelly Bryant
People like to ask me, “what was the best part of the trip?” I tend to break the answer up and say what the best part of each major city was. For Salzburg, the best part was joining the Moores, Coglianos, and Alyssa Carter in a cooking class, learning to make apple strudel and pretzels, then being treated to classical opera and songs from the Sound of Music. A close second for Salzburg was going up to the castle and getting a burst of fresh air at the gun port. For Vienna, the best part was getting a tour of the opera house and sitting in the private box of Emperor Franz Joseph. For Budapest, the best part was Matthias Church, which someone in the group said looked a lot like Hogwarts. Not only could I not get that image out of my head, but walking up the stairs I was half expecting Professor McGonagall to greet us.
— Josh Wells
After a 9-year hiatus since our last Sanctuary Choir tour, I was so excited for this trip! There is something truly special about these trips that create bonds and memories unlike any other singing or travel experience. Visiting new places and singing in some of the world’s most beautiful cathedrals alongside my choir family was unforgettable. How many people can say they’ve sung Mozart in the church where Mozart was baptized? And knowing we were sharing music with such a variety of people from all over the globe made it even more amazing. But the most special part of this trip for me was getting to share it with my 15-year-old daughter. Having her there to be part of the choir and exploring new cities and countries together filled my heart in a new way that made the whole experience even more meaningful for me. Thank you to Adam and ACFEA for organizing such a wonderful trip and for allowing our youth to be a part of it as well.
— Erin Luce
It was cool to see all the architecture and how it was different from Houston. I also enjoyed getting to know some people that I didn’t know before. I am very grateful I got to experience this opportunity with my church.
— Bailey Luce
The tour was great. A good mix of structured time (guided walking or bus tours of the cities) and free time with flexibility to hike up the hill in Salzburg or take the walking tour. The Sound of Music bus tour and walking around the Mirabelle Gardens where they filmed Do Re Mi was so much fun. I enjoyed getting to know some people better, reacquaint myself with some young adults that I first met as children, and visit some great churches with great acoustics. Once again, my favorite venue was probably the smallest one, not the big churches. Kremstein was a neat little town and dancing with the folk dance group was fabulous. I really appreciated that ACFEA and Adam were willing to have our daughter Rachel join us in Vienna. It was great to see her and introduce her to some new SMBC folks.
— Anthony Holder
