MCI is a full-service concert and festival

organizing company

John Wiscombe founded MCI in 1993. As a

youth, he spent several years as a tour manager

throughout Europe. He has now been in the

music travel business for over 45 years.

Our Staff is composed of a unique blend of

musicians and travel industry professionals

We are musicians serving musicians

MCI staff has a combined 200+ years

experience in designing and operating concert

tours

About Music Celebrations

Music Celebrations International in cooperation with the Cremona City

Council and Chamber of Commerce welcome you and your ensemble to

perform in the 2019 Cremona Orchestra Festival, an exclusive music

event that will take place July 2 - 6, 2019! The 2019 Orchestra Festival

will be part of the prestigious two-weeks long Cremona Music Festival.

Two or more select orchestras will be featured in performance in this

historic city which is filled with musical history and craft. All

participating orchestras are selected by application process through Music

Celebrations.

Known around the world for its tradition of stringed instrument

production, Cremona has been a famous music center since the 16th

century and still prides itself for its artisan workshops producing high-

quality stringed instruments. Cremona’s finest resident luthier was

Antonio Stradivari. It is estimated Stradivari produced over 1,000

instruments, of which only 650 survive today and are still some of the

finest in the world.

Highlights of Cremona include the Museo del Violino, a new museum

which highlights the origins of the violin, violin construction, and

Stradivari’s personal tools and drawings. The Civic Museum houses

Italian paintings and artifacts from the middle ages through the 20th

century. One cannot visit Cremona without a visit to the Duomo and

Baptistery dating back to the early 12th-century. Milan and Busseto are

just a short drive away to experience the grandeur of Italian art and

culture and the hometown of famed composer Giuseppe Verdi.

About the Festival

• Depart via scheduled air service to Milan, Italy

Day One: Monday, July 1, 2019

• Arrive in Milan

• Meet your MCI Tour Manager, who will assist the group to

awaiting chartered motorcoach

• Half day guided tour of Milan includes entrances to La

Scala, the best-known opera house in the world and the

Duomo, the largest Gothic cathedral in Italy

• Transfer to Cremona

• Late afternoon hotel check-in

• Evening Welcome Dinner and overnight

Day Two: Tuesday, July 2

• Breakfast included at the hotel

• A half-day guided tour includes the Civic Museum, Duomo

(Cathedral), Town Hall, and most importantly, entrance to Stradivarius

museum – Museo del Violino. There are galleries devoted to the origins

of the violin, violin construction, and Stradivari's workshop tools,

molds and drawings

• Lunch, on own

• Afternoon visit to luthier shop for a firsthand view and guide of the

hand making process of stringed instruments

• Evening dinner included, and overnight

Day Three: Wednesday, July 3

• Breakfast included at the hotel

• Morning excursion to Busseto, which has ancient roots that date back to

the 10th century. These will be visits to Teatro Verdi Opera House,

Verdi’s birthplace, and Casa Barezzi the former home of Antonio

Barezzi

• Lunch, on own

• Afternoon return to Cremona

• Afternoon Clinic or Workshop

• Evening dinner included, and overnight

Day Four: Thursday, July 4

• Breakfast included at the hotel

• Day at leisure in Cremona

• Lunch, on own

• Rehearsal

• Festival Concert Performance in Cremona

• Evening Farewell Dinner included, and overnight

Day Five: Friday, July 5

• Breakfast included at the hotel, followed by check-out

• Transfer to Milan’s airport for return flight home

Day Six: Saturday, July 6

Music Celebrations International

looks forward to providing your ensemble

with a truly memorable

musical and cultural experience

of a lifetime in the Cremona Orchestra Festival!