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The program featured the Misa Criolla, a passionate folk-mass based on indigenous music of South America; African-American spirituals; folk songs made famous by Peter, Paul & Mary, Peter Seeger, and the Weavers; songs of Jewish life; and vintage favorites of the Von Trapp Family of "The Sound of Music" fame. The Von Trapp Family is intimately connected to the Festival, as the concert itself is presented in a voluminous white amphitheater in a meadow on the grounds of the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, a renowned skiing and vacation paradise.
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All participating choirs came together for intensive daily rehearsals under the direction of Robert De Cormier, renowned music arranger for such music-scene luminaries as Peter, Paul & Mary and Harry Belafonte. In addition, Viva la Musica! performed on its own in three different venues; on-stage at the opening of the mass convert, in the Festival's concert series, and at a Sunday morning worship service in a white-steepled, quintessentially New England church in Stowe. |
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Tenor Roman Saenz says, "This was the experience of a lifetime for us singers. Performing en masse with other choirs was uplifting and we realized afresh what a quality experience Viva la Musica! is." In addition to their musical endeavors, Vivans also enjoyed the picturesque village of Stowe, a dinner-dance cruise on Lake Champlain, a gondola ride to the expansive vistas atop Mt. Mandsfield, a tour of Ben & Jerry's Ice-Cream factory, shopping in vibrant Burlington, and a final candlelit celebration dinner in an elegant English Inn. |
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