Welcome to Malaga, CSUSB & MMC!

CSUSB & MMC are on their way to beautiful Málaga during their Performance Tour 2010 with Incantato Tours. Let's have a closer look at this destination:
Málaga is a city in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the second most populous city of Andalusia, the sixth largest in Spain and 43rd-most populous municipality in the European Union, with a population of 566,447 in 2008. It is the 8th largest European city above the Mediterranean Sea and experiences the warmest winters of any European city with a population over 250,000, with a Mediterranean-Subtropical climate. It lies in southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun), about 100 km east of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Málaga, together with Rincon de la Victoria, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Alhaurin de la Torre create an urban area named Greater Málaga populated by 824,842 in 561.71 km².
The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabian and Christian epochs convert the historic center into an "Open Museum" displaying its rich history of more than 3,000 years. Málaga is the birthplace of artist Pablo Picasso and was the port city for Spanish military leader Bernardo de Gálvez, who served as Louisiana Governor.

News from the travelers

Incantato Tour Manager Rosalia reported, that the concerts in Sevilla have been a huge success. "Especially the church of El Salvador: a lot of people, great priests, standing ovations, just perfect", Rosalia sums up. Now the musicians prepare for their last concerts in Spain.

CSUSB & MMC are the featured guest choirs for High Mass at Iglesia Colegial Divino Salvador in Sevilla on June 27 at 8 pm

The Iglesia Colegial Divino Salvador in Sevilla is the CSUSB & MMC concert venue on June 27 at 8 pm. The Roman Catholic church is known as the Church of the Savior and located at the Plaza del Salvador. It's the largest church in the city, not counting the cathedral. It is a 17th century church in Baroque style. It has a rectangular plan with 3 naves. Its vaults are of the barrel and cross types. Inside, the dome, the main reredos and the sacramental chapel are outstanding. It also has the carvings of 'Jesús de la Pasión', the work of Martínez Montañés, and 'El Cristo del Amor' by Juan de Mena. Prior to the church there was a Roman temple, a Palaeochristian, Visigothic and Mozarab basilica, and, in the 11th century, the great mosque of Seville on this site. You can still see the Courtyard of the Ablutions and the Minaret (now a bell tower) of the great mosque. Click here to get to the website (in Spanish).

Mass participation at Catedral de Sevilla: CSUSB & MMC will sing at 11 AM on Sunday, June 27

On June 27 at 11 am there is a special highlight waiting for the travelers. Under the direction of Andrew Crane, the CSUSB San Bernardino Chamber Singers and the Mountainside Master Chorale will perform during mass at Catedral de Sevilla. This is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world. Did you know that the cathedral serves as the burial site of Christopher Columbus? The cathedral was built to demonstrate Seville's wealth, as it had become a major trading center in the years after the Reconquista. The builders of the cathedral decided in July 1401 to build a new temple, as the ancient Muslim mosque was in bad shape after the 1356 earthquake. According to the oral tradition of Seville, the decision of members of the chapter was: "Let a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built will think we were mad". Construction began in 1402 on the site of a former mosque, following the capture of Seville from the Moors; it continued until 1506. Church workers gave half their salaries to pay for architects, builders and other expenses. Five years after construction ended, in 1511, the dome collapsed and work on the cathedral re-commenced. The dome again collapsed in 1888, and work was still being performed on the dome until at least 1903. The 1888 collapse occurred due to an earthquake and resulted in the destruction of "every precious object below" the dome at that time.
The interior has the longest nave in Spain. Its central nave rises to a height of 42 metres and is lavishly decorated, with a large quantity of gold evident. In the main body of the cathedral, only the great boxlike structure of the choir stands out, filling the central portion of the nave. It is also dominated by a vast Gothic retablo of carved scenes from the life of Christ. The altarpiece was the lifetime work of a single craftsman, Pierre Dancart. The builders used some columns and elements from the mosque, and most famously the Giralda, a minaret converted into a bell tower. The Giralda is the city's most famous symbol. It was built as a minaret of the old mosque, although the bell tower and spire top, is Renaissance.

"Everybody loves them" - First two CSUSB Concerts in Spain

Over a hundred people were in the audience, when CSUSB & MMC performed at Iglesia de San Ginés in Madrid on Thursday, June 24, 7.30 pm. "Everybody loved them", Incantato Tour Manager Rosalia just reported over the phone. The singers had a great time and enjoyed the performance - same tonight at Conservatorio Superior de Música Manuel Castillo in Sevilla. Now they are heading into the city center to have dinner. Bon appetit!

Friday, June 25, 8 PM: CSUSB & MMC perform at Conservatorio Superior de Música Manuel Castillo in Sevilla

Incantato Tours proudly presents your performance venue for Friday, June 25 at 8 PM: Conservatorio Superior de Música Manuel Castillo in Sevilla. To visit the Spanish website, please click here. The building dates back to the 14th century. Since 2001 it hosts the Conservatorio and the School of Dramatic Art.

CSUSB & MMC start their Spain Performance Tour with a concert at Iglesia de San Ginés in Madrid on June 24, at 7:30 PM

On Thursday, June 24, at 7:30 PM the CSUSB & MMC choirs start their Spain Performance Tour 2010 with a concert at the beautiful Iglesia de San Ginés in Madrid. The church is one of the oldest churches in that city. It is situated on the Calle Arenal. References to it appear in documents dating from the ninth century. Originally built in Mudéjar style, it was rebuilt in 1645.
The church is preceded by an atrium enclosed by railings. It has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles separated by semicircular arches and several side chapels and the altarpieces belong to the Neoclassical-Romantic school. It was, however, totally reconstructed after suffering several fires, so few remnants of the original church, such as the bell-tower, remain. In 1870, the loggia and atrium facing the Calle Arenal were added. In the Santísimo Cristo Chapel there are artworks by Alonso Cano, Luca Giordano and el Greco.