1. Musicin St. John’s
VIENNA CHOIR TOUR
Dear Parents,
RE: Choir Tour to Vienna
First of all, please allow me to express my gratitude for
your continued support towards the performing arts pro-
gramme at St. John’s. Our successes in recent years could
not have been possible without your support, and your
child’s participation in last year’s choir tour to Rome has
allowed the Music department to continually strive for
greater heights, whilst allowing your child the opportuni-
ties to broaden their performing horizons.
Riding on the success of last year’s trip to Rome, I am
very pleased to announce that I shall be putting together
our third annual choir tour to take place in February next
year. We shall be travelling to Vienna this year, making
this the second music and performing arts tour by St.
John’s to take place overseas.
The choir tour will take place from 24-27 Feb 2015 and
pupils will be enjoying a varied itinerary of both perform-
ing and sightseeing throughout their stay. The highlight of
this tour will undoubtedly the opportunity to sing at St.
Stephen’s Cathedral, which is the most important religious
building in Vienna. We will have to opportunity to do
some outreach work by performing at a residential home
in Vienna, where pupils will have the chance to meet and
interact with a different aspect of the Viennese commu-
nity.
Following last year’s programme of carrying out exchange
visits with international schools in Rome, I will also be tak-
ing the choir to another international school in Vienna
where our pupils will be able to meet peers of their similar
age from different parts of the world, getting to know
new people and forging friendships for years to come.
Guided tours and excursions around the city will include a
visit to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, where we
will have the opportunity to attend an eventing rehearsal
and witness a Renaissance tradition, which has been prac-
tised for nearly 450 years.
What is included in the
tour price?
The comprehensive tour price will include
the following throughout our entire stay in
Vienna:
- Return flights on British Airways
- Airport transfers to and from Heathrow
- Fully comprehensive insurance cover
- A full-board provision, including lunches
- 3-course evening meals on two evenings
- Accommodation at a top class Hilton hotel
- Twin share room arrangements only
- A tour manager throughout our stay
- All coach transfers in Vienna
- Guided excursions and sightseeing activities
- All booking fees for performance venues
We will also be taken on guided tours
around the city, all organised by our spe-
cialist Music tour organisers, OneStage.
Whilst in Vienna, we will be embarking on
an varied performing schedule in order to
maximise all our given opportunities to
sing for the community.
Our concert at St. Stephen’s Cathedral will
be fully promoted, and you are more than
welcome to come and watch us perform in
Vienna if you would like, as was the case
last year in Rome.
The proposed quote for the tour this year
is £915.00 per pupil, with the final cost to
be lowered depending on the number of
participants from the choir. Please see
overleaf for more details regarding pricing.

2. Tour prices for this year
The final cost for the tour will depend on how many pupils are going. At present, with have been quoted the following:
25 travelling pupils £915.00 ea. Three accompanying staff
30 travelling pupils £860.00 ea. Three accompanying staff
Please note that the trip will not go ahead if there are less than 25 pupils signed up for the tour.
As this is a valuable educational experience which I
believe will be particularly beneficial to our choir sing-
ers and our F.3 pupils who are about to head into sec-
ondary school, I would like to strongly recommend
you to ensure your child does not miss out on this
unique opportunity.
On a personal note, I would also like to add that the
success of this trip, and even the possibility of it taking
place, depends heavily on the number of positive con-
firmations from the choir. We have managed to secure
a very good rate from OneStage, but this is heavily
dependent on the number of pupils travelling. Hence, I
would like to appeal to you to, should it be within you
and your child’s interest, sign up for this tour.
Where are we staying?
Whilst travelling overseas, the safety and com-
fort of your child is always paramount to us.
This year, the children will have the fantastic
opportunity to stay at Hilton Vienna Danube
Waterfront hotel, located right on the banks of
the beautiful River Danube.
This highly-rated four-star hotel has received
excellent reviews when it comes to travelling
with young people, which is why we have de-
cided on this option. All rooms are twin-share
only. Unlike most other school trips, which re-
quire pupils to share rooms in larger groups, we
feel that the maturity of our pupils this year al-
lows them to enjoy their own space whilst taking
a breather from our hectic and exciting schedule
whilst in Vienna.
If you would like to view more photos of this
beautiful hotel, please visit http://bit.ly/
vcchotel
Kindly please fill in the attached reply slip,
indicating your response. Should you decide
to go ahead with the tour, please note that
there is a non-refundable first deposit of
£250.00 will have to be submitted by no later
than Thursday, 9 October 2014. As I under-
stand this might be a big decision and you
might have many questions about it, I will be
on hand on Monday, 6 October 2014 at 4
p.m. to answer any questions you may have
in person in the school hall.
Performing in
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
St Stephen’s Cathedral is arguably the most important reli-
gious building in Vienna. By going on this tour, your child
will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing at this
magnificent site which, since 1147, has borne witness to
many important events in Hasburg and Austrian history.
Incidentally, the funeral of the Italian composer, Antonio
Vivaldi, took place in this cathedral in 1741.
With the help of OneStage, our specialist travel partners,
The St John’s Prep School choir will be perform a full
lunchtime recital programme of secular and sacred choral
works which will be fully promoted and advertised.
As earlier mentioned, you are most welcome to attend this
recital if you so choose, which in turn will be a wonderful
experience to witness your child in action.
I have attached a proposed itinerary from OneStage for your kind perusal. Feedback received from the
choir tour to Rome last year has so far been extremely positive and I am very keen and hopeful for your
child to be part of this fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this year. I am confident and certain that we
will be able to deliver an experience which, if you child only goes on one trip this year, will be well worth it.
Yours faithfully,
Mr J. Ang
Head of Music

3. R E P L Y S L I P
Kindly please indicate your response by ticking the correct box. Please return this reply slip no later
than Monday, 6 October 2014 to either your child’s form teacher or Mr. Ang.
I would like my child to participate on the choir tour to Vienna this year, and have enclosed/
will be submitting a non-refundable deposit of £250 payable to the school no later than
Thursday, 9 October 2014.
I would like to find out more about the tour before making a decision, and will be coming for
the drop-in session on Monday, 6 October 2014 at 4.00 p.m. in the school hall.
I have decided for my child not to participate on the choir tour to Vienna this year.
(If you have ticked this option, I would be grateful if you could briefly list why in the space
below. All information will be treated confidentially and it will be very helpful when it comes
to planning future tours.)
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Fee payment schedule
Please see below for the schedule of fee payments for the tour and when they are due.
Initial deposit £250.00 Due on Thursday, 9 October 2014
2nd payment £350.00 Due on Monday, 3 November 2014
3rd payment £180.00 Due on Friday, 5 December 2014
4th payment £135.00 Due on Monday, 5 January 2015
This is based on 25 pupils travelling at £915.00 ea. If the tour price drops down £860.00 each, then the final payment will
be £55.00 less, i.e. £75.00. Any advance payments are welcome and gratefully received.