{"id":63272,"date":"2015-08-11T11:00:33","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T15:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=63272"},"modified":"2015-08-09T12:37:51","modified_gmt":"2015-08-09T16:37:51","slug":"oacc-ensemble-returns-from-european-concert-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=63272","title":{"rendered":"OACC Ensemble Returns From European Concert Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"OACC<\/a>
OACC 2015 tour members at Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Austria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"OACC<\/a>
OACC Tour Ensemble in Ebersburg, Germany<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

(Oneida, NY \u2013 Aug. 2015) The Oneida Area Civic Chorale took their musical talents abroad earlier this summer as they used the universal language of music to reach out to audiences in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany where they received warm welcomes and huge accolades.<\/p>\n

According to Kimberly Nethaway, Director of the Oneida Area Civic Chorale (OACC) this unique experience is one that the ensemble has embraced since 2003.\u00a0 Nethaway said that the group travels under the auspices of American Music Abroad (AMA).\u00a0 AMA is an international exchange program designed to communicate America\u2019s rich musical contributions and diverse culture to audiences around the world.<\/p>\n

\"Flower<\/a>
Flower presentation after concert in Trebon, Czech Republic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAMA sets up tours in Europe for music ensembles.\u00a0 We tour to give singers the chance to perform American music in other countries, and the make connections with audiences and other singers abroad. The old saying that \u201cmusic is the universal language\u201d is something that we truly experience while performing abroad,\u201d Nethaway said.<\/p>\n

Touring also gives the OACC singers a one of a kind experiences by touring and having the opportunity to get to know one another even\u00a0 better than what they may experience from rehearsals and concerts<\/p>\n

The group left the Griffiss Business Park on July 1 where 46 tour members boarded a bus and traveled to New York City where they embarked on a flight to Vienna, Austria.<\/p>\n

The ensemble performed scheduled concerts in many beautiful cathedrals including<\/p>\n

St. Stephen\u2019s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria; Korunni Chapel in Prague, Czech Republic; St. Giles Church in Trebon, Czech Republic; Salzburg Cathedral in Salzburg, Austria and at Alter SpeicherEbersburg in Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concert in Germany was unique, as it was a \u201cfriendship concert\u201d where we performed with a choir from Munich. We also enjoyed some impromptu singing opportunities whereever we were…in restaurants, churches, and on walking tours,\u201d Nethaway said.<\/p>\n

The concerts performed all had an American music theme to them, which included sacred popular, jazz, Broadway and concert pieces; from favorites like \u201cAmazing Grace,\u201d \u201cAlexander\u2019s Ragtime Band\u201d and \u201cWhen the Saints Go Marching In,\u201d to songs by Eric Whitacre, George Gershwin, Paul Simon and Billy Joel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to present an enjoyable cross-section of music from the U.S.A,\u201d Nethaway said.<\/p>\n

Nethaway said the music program was well received by all audiences throughout the tour.\u00a0 \u201cEvery audience was wonderful,\u201d\u00a0 Nethaway said.\u00a0 Even with the language barriers in some countries, Nethway said that regardless of their natural language the audiences were moved by the message of the ensemble.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe audience members had big smiles and resounding applause.\u00a0 We even received a standing ovation in Trebon, which is basically unheard of in the Czech Republic,\u201d Nethaway said.<\/p>\n

Performing on a tour of this nature presented the OACC ensemble with many unique challenges; from logistics to acoustics.\u00a0 Nethaway said that there is a very short window of time to get everything set up and sound checks completed while tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is somewhat of an adventure each time we perform abroad,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is a good test for the singers to have to quickly adapt to the surroundings and perform their best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from performing, ensemble members had several opportunities to tour many prominent landmarks, dine in cultural restaurants and stay in historic hotels and inns.\u00a0 They got a birds-eye view of the landscapes of these counties and connected with new friends from far way lands.<\/p>\n

Nethaway said that It was wonderful for musicians to experience Vienna and Salzburg, given the history there of so many great composers.<\/p>\n

While in Salzburg ensemble members visited breathtaking landscapes and locations where the famous musical, ‘The Sound of Music,’ was filmed. There, they also experienced the historical and architectural landmarks in the city, as well as a part of the picturesque lake district.<\/p>\n

The ensemble members enjoyed the Czech Republic stating that it had a flavor all its own.\u00a0 Many of the singer said the concerts in the Czech Republic were their favorite performances.<\/p>\n

Since 2003 the OACC has made seven European tours including Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Belgium, Netherlands, France Germany, Croatia, Slovania, Czech Republic and Austria. Nethawy hopes that the group will tour again in 2017 but at this time is unsure as to the countries they may choose to tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are lots of places I would like to take my singers,\u201d Nethaway said. \u201cAs a director, it is very rewarding to be able to give my singers the chance to travel together and perform in Europe.\u00a0 I feel very fortunate to be able to do this with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The OACC is an Adult Community Chorus of more than 90 voices with singers coming from the\u00a0 Oneida, VVS, Canastota and Rome areas.\u00a0 It is a non-auditioned requirement membership group, which is open to all adults who love to sing.\u00a0 The group will begin rehearsals again the second week of September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Oneida, NY \u2013 Aug. 2015) The Oneida Area Civic Chorale took their musical talents abroad earlier this summer as they used the universal language of music to reach out to audiences in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany where they received warm welcomes and huge accolades. According to Kimberly Nethaway, Director of the Oneida Area Civic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}