About
As the premiere student traveling ensemble in the United States, the All American Youth in Concert performs in a variety of marvelous concert venues across Europe. Some of the prestigious locations from past trips include: the Vatican Piazza in Rome, the Vienna State Opera and Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, the scenic Mediterranean bay of Athens, beautiful locations in the Austrian countryside including the church where the wedding was filmed for The Sound of Music, Nymphenburg Palace and the Rathaus square in Munich, famed locations in London and Stratford-on-Avon, and the Imperial Palace in Prague. AAYC has received the keys to fifteen major cities and been reviewed in some of Europe’s most important newspapers.
Strict membership requirements assure that all members of the ensemble will always be of the highest caliber. All members of the ensemble must have performed in an honors ensemble (such as All-State, Region, or County Honors ensembles) or receive a superlative recommendation from an AAYC representative. Music is prepared individually by each member in advance of the tour and polished during rehearsals both prior to and while on tour.
- Some AAYC students in Ireland
The AAYC ensembles travel via regularly scheduled commercial airlines and the finest of coaches. Hotels are always top notch and comparable to four-star hotels in the United States.
Music Director Dr. William H. Silvester designs each tour personally, in conjunction with Music Celebrations International. Every hotel, coach, itinerary location, and concert location is investigated and compared with many other such sites and chosen because of its ”exclusive” appeal and historical value. Because of the outstanding and exciting tour and concert package, many members choose to go year after year! Recommendations from individuals, concert managers, travel managers, and hotels are all available upon request.
Counselors are selected from alumni and other music directors who have extensive travel experience and represent the high level of musicianship and citizenship espoused by AAYC. The ratio of counselors to students is about 1 to 5.
Parental or guardian approval and consent is required. Parents may also join the tour - it is not unusual for 15 or more parents to participate. It is important to note that parents function as separate tourists and not as chaperones or tour leaders; however, they often elect to assist the staff members in an unofficial capacity.