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TRS | Georgia Festival Chorus Tuscany Festival | 2024


Georgia Festival Chorus

Tuscany

International

Choral Festival

and Tuscany Experience

June 12-19, 2024

To register for the tour and to access your payment account click the button below.


800.624.0166 | 802.862.2200 | [email protected] | www.music-contact.com

We look forward to providing you with helpful information through your group’s custom Traveler's Resource Site in the months leading up to your departure. Hopefully, this site's features will make anticipating your trip even more exciting! Visit your site often to view your daily itinerary as it evolves, including concert details, to read about the places you will visit, access links to destination-specific content, get advice on what to pack, and much more.

For quick access to any section of this website please click on the three bars in the upper left corner to access the drop-down index.

Your Traveler's Resource Site also offers convenient access to our web payment portal, where you can make your tour payments, view previous payments, and see upcoming payment dates.

Perform in Italy with your choir!

Benvenuto in Italia!

Your journey will whisk you into a world of immense beauty, culture, history and most importantly, music. Not only is music traditionally one of the cultural symbols of Italian identity, but it holds an important position in both society and politics. The music of Italy ranges across a broad spectrum, from instrumental to vocal to theatrical. Italian contribution in such areas as musical scales, harmony, notation, and theater enabled the development of opera and much of modern European classical music, such as the concerto and symphony. One can still hear the sounds of Claudio Monteverde and Giuseppe Verdi through the narrow streets.

Table of Contents

  • Daily Itinerary
  • Tour Package Prices
  • Payment Account Portal
  • Travel Tips
  • Health & Wellness Travel Tips
  • Useful Resources
  • Tour Inclusions
  • Destination Video
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Music Contact International Contact Information

TOUR PACKAGE PRICES you can rely on


LAND PACKAGE

Based on a minimum of 30 paying travelers, in 4-star accommodations, in double occupancy:  $2,621 per person

AIRFARE

$ 2,154 per person on Air France flights

TOTAL LAND AND AIR PACKAGE

Based on a minimum of 30 paying travelers in double occupancy rooms:  $4,775 per person

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL SERVICE

$395 per person supplement for a single occupancy room (based on availability)

Your tour includes everything above. Here’s what’s not included: 

Passport, official ID, visa or other required travel documents | Immunizations |Fees for extra, oversize or overweight baggage | Luggage handling at airports and hotels | Musical instruments including rental of piano and keyboard | Transportation of oversized instruments | Rehearsal/meeting room | Meals, entrance fees, and coach transfers not mentioned above | Drinks with meals unless specified | Travel insurance (additional information on insurance is enclosed)

Please let us know if you would like any of these items added to your tour.

TRAVEL PROTECTION is recommended!

Music Contact International recommends purchasing a travel protection plan through Travel Insured.  This link is also available online via your Tour Resource site. Please review coverage options very carefully and contact Travel Insured Inc. directly with any insurance-related questions.

Payment Account

Please set up your payment account in order to register for your tour.


Travel Tips

We know that collecting the funds for a performance tour can be a challenge for individual travelers as well as for group leaders. Over the years we have seen ensembles have great success through fundraising to help support their travel costs and we want to share some of the ideas they have used.

Understanding that each community and ensemble has different potential for fundraising, it is helpful to have a variety of ideas to choose from that may help you find the right match for your situation.


Health & Wellness Travel Tips

We know that collecting the funds for a performance tour can be a challenge for individual travelers as well as for group leaders. Over the years we have seen ensembles have great success through fundraising to help support their travel costs and we want to share some of the ideas they have used.

Understanding that each community and ensemble has different potential for fundraising, it is helpful to have a variety of ideas to choose from that may help you find the right match for your situation.




Useful Resources


Your Tour INCLUDES:

FLIGHTS - professionally managed with group airfare

  • Roundtrip flights from Atlanta - Paris - Florence and Florence - Paris -Atlanta on Air France

If you're interested in any flight option other than the group flight, including upgrades or alternate dates or cities using funds, miles, or status, please select a land-only package and self-book your flights.

Currently, for this routing, Air France includes one complimentary checked bag per traveler. Please note airline baggage inclusions are subject to change until flights are ticketed.

ACCOMMODATIONS - thoughtfully selected to match group needs

  • 4 nights in a Montecatini Terme hotel
  • 2 nights in Villa Sabolini

MEALS - varied, flavorful, and highlighting local cuisine

Breakfast daily at your hotel/at your villa

Dinner nightly as follows:

  • Three dinners served at your Montecatini Terme hotel
  • One dinner served at Tettuccio Spa (or similar) during the festival closing ceremony
  • Dinner upon arrival at Villa Sabolini
  • Farewell dinner at a local restaurant in Siena

Additional meals can be arranged upon request. 

PERFORMANCES + WORKSHOPS + EXCHANGES customized, unique and inspiring

Music is the heart of this tour and the suggestions made here reflect the type of performances, venues, musical exchanges, and experiences, we will arrange for your ensemble.

Four performance opportunities, as indicated in the itinerary, pending availability and acceptance:

  • Open-air concert at Tettuccio Spa
  • Open-air concert in Piazza del Popolo
  • Sing for Mass at a church in Montecatini Terme (or vicinity)
  • Friendship concert with a local ensemble in Siena

ACTIVITIES + TOURS + ENTRANCES fun and informative activities

Experience fabulous sightseeing with our entertaining and informative guides:  

  • Italian guide to assist with festival-related activities and events
  • Festival opening ceremony
  • Guided excursion to Florence
  • Guided excursion to Lucca
  • Festival closing Ceremony with acknowledgments and shared choral piece
  • Guided excursion to San Gimignano
  • Local tasting (food and optional wine)
  • Guided excursion to Siena

GRATUITIES

Gratuities for all group meals, your MCI tour manager, your festival assistant, and all motor coach drivers and local guides are included

TOUR MANAGER to handle on-the-road logistics 

A full-time tour manager to accompany your group every step of the way from arrival through departure. Our beloved tour managers assist with:

  • Greeting and gathering the group upon arrival
  • Expediting hotel check-ins and check-outs
  • Liaising with reception desks, coach drivers, and guides 
  • Facilitating concerts and rehearsals
  • Directing on-site entrances and activities, handling tickets and vouchers
  • Keeping each day well-paced 
  • Sharing cultural content and interpreting local customs
  • Sending everyone home with fond memories & hopes to travel together again soon! 

TRANSPORTATION in a private, modern, climate-controlled motor coach with a professional driver 

For all services specified in your itinerary

INSURANCE that covers our commitment to you

Music Contact International, Inc. holds $5,000,000.00 of Travel Agent and Tour Operator Professional Liability Insurance.  

TOUR ENHANCEMENT MATERIALS to help plan, promote, and prepare

  • A custom Traveler’s Resource Site (TRS):  We build this site specifically for your tour as a resource for travelers to engage in from the start.  The TRS is where travelers view the itinerary and watch it develop. There are maps, pictures, packing lists, recommendations for destination-based books and movies, collections of FAQs, and helpful travel links. We’ll build your site when your group is registered for this tour!
  • A customized tour handbook with hourly itinerary, packing tips and lists, practical “Things to Know”, destination background, and other fun content. This printed booklet is provided for each traveler about a month before departure.  
  • A luggage tag, passport/document holder, and outlet adapter for each traveler is also included. 

MUSIC CONTACT INTERNATIONAL SERVICES go beyond logistics 

  • A unique opportunity to make lifelong friends through music and pilgrimage!  When we bring groups together, friendships develop that frequently extend to years of heartfelt reunions on tours we plan around the world.   
  • You are in good hands! We’ve got 30+ years’ experience arranging custom cultural and special interest tours, performance tours and festivals for choirs, bands, and orchestras.

Our MCI team is the best in the business! We are musicians, teachers, event planners, parents, performers, volunteers, travelers, linguists, athletes, and more, from many countries, sharing our expertise at producing great tour experiences.

  • We are right there with you!  Often, a person who works on your tour, escorts it.  This means your tour manager’s expectations for a great program and activities are as high as yours!
  • Details are our specialty!  Group leaders appreciate our well-organized, user-friendly systems and tools for handling group logistics, payments, and diverse traveler needs.
  • You’ll love our flexibility!  Do some of your travelers need individual flights?  Adjoining rooms?  Gluten-free meals?  We are always glad to help.
  • No matter where you live, consider us local!  We will travel to meet your group, present the tour, and help you promote and plan for it. We also Zoom, Skype, and video chat. 

CONVENIENT ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM - tour accounting has never been easier!

MCI has a secure, password-protected, online payment site where tour members register and pay for their tour in increments. Reminders and statements are sent electronically.  

Your designated leader is emailed a weekly report on group finances and has access to a portal to view payments at any time. We have a system for handling scholarships and monies from fundraisers as well. If for any reason you prefer to collect payments from your travelers and send us a group payment, that’s fine too!






Tuscany & Florence await...

Let Expedia introduce you to some of the highlights of Florence, one of the highlights of your Tuscan itinerary!



Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to your Traveler’s Resource Site! Here at Music Contact International, we are committed to bringing you the travel experience of a lifetime! As you get excited and begin making plans for your upcoming trip, here are some helpful resources and information to guide you.

In this section you will find answers to frequently asked questions on the following topics:

  • General (Includes questions about the itinerary, dietary restrictions, mobility restrictions, and package prices)
  • Hotels and Rooming Arrangements
  • Flights
  • Using the Web Payment System
  • Special Payment Arrangements
  • Travel Insurance
  • Cancellations/Terms & Conditions
  • The Help Desk




MUSIC CONTACT INTERNATIONAL

TOLL FREE 800-624-0166 • TEL 802-862-2200 • FAX 802-862-2251 119 South Winooski Avenue, Burlington, Vermont 05401 USA www.music-contact.com[email protected] FOLLOW US • FB: @musiccontactinternational | IG: @musiccontact

photo location - our home in Burlington, Vermont