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 Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. Concert Tour
April 5 - 13, 1999
By Mario Dell'Olio
Choir Director
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 On Monday, April 5, 1999, the Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory Chorus from San Francisco reached across its borders to spread the message of Lasallian (St. John Baptist de la Salle) and Vincentian (St. Vincent de Paul) spirituality through song. With zeal in their hearts their songs rang out for brotherhood and sisterhood. In a part of the world that is ravaged by intolerance and violence, the Chorus sang for peace and acceptance. The exchange of culture and faith shown brightly through each performance and interaction with people of central and eastern Europe.
The first concert was with Patrona Hungariae Gimnazium Leanykara, a Catholic girls school in Budapest. The setting was the 750 year old Matthias church, the ancient cathedral of the nation.  Though a bit jet lagged and weary from a day of touring the chorus sang to a full church and received great ovations as the crowd applauded rhythmically while the chorus left the sanctuary. The reception that followed was where the true magic took place.
After a wonderful dinner the Hungarian choir asked the choir to teach them "Freedom Is Coming" a South African spiritual. They in turn taught the Americans a Hungarian folk song, and as the choirs repeated each song, a cultural bond was formed. The two groups locked arms and began to dance and sing to the song they had just learned. While singing in English and Hungarian a spontaneous eruption of the macharena ensued! The exchange between the two choirs transformed the entire evening.
 The following day the students were off to Bratislava the capital of Solvakia. There they visited part of our Lasallian family at Zakladna skola sv. Jan de la Salle. This is a primary and secondary school. The humble church in which the concert was held was packed with a standing room only crowd. After the performance, a choir of primary school children sang for them, girls with fresh daffodils in their hair and little boys with freshly scrubbed faces sang with joy and excitement. The SHCP Chorus felt their hearts melt as this humble little choir gave them their gift of song. Their young adult choir sang several American songs and everyone had time to communicate and celebrate during the reception that followed.
As they crossed the border into Austria, the countryside took a distinctive turn. The quaint little villages and pristine streets led them to the town of Styer where Anton Bruckner spent time directing music at the cathedral in which they were to sing that evening. The shops and homes on the main square where bedecked with gold and baroque ornaments. The choir performed in a beautiful gothic church and when they finished their performance, they were whisked away to a concert hall where an Austrian and a German choir were giving a joint performance. They invited the Americans to sing the finale! They took the audience by storm. People were standing on the chairs and tables yelling for more. As they left the concert hall, the organizer of the event asked if they would be willing to return to give a full concert!
The musical city of Vienna awaited the group as their final stop on the concert tour. On Sunday morning the Chorus sang at high mass at the Gothic Votiv Church just moments away from the Rothaus. Later that afternoon the chorus performed an open air concert at the famous Schunbrunn Palace where performances are by audition only. They received a certificate of thanks from the city of Vienna and the visitor's board. That evening another honor awaited the SHCP Chorus. Dinner was held in a restaurant in Grinsing, in the midst of a vineyard. A document was presented to Mr. Mario Dell'Olio, the Choir's director, naming him an Ambassador to Grinsing on behalf of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep Chorus. This is an honor bestowed on rare occasions, the last person to receive this title was President George Bush.
The final day in Vienna proved to be their most successful. The Chorus gave a concert to another of our Lasallian schools, De La Salle Schule, Strebersdorf. The audience was energetic and lively. The chorus performed with pride and the knowledge that their borders extend well beyond San Francisco. The Lasallian family is world wide and our unified values and faith join us across the oceans and continents. After the performance groups of students gave the chours tours of their beautiful campus followed by a luncheon of wienerschnitzl! This was a fitting conclusion to their third international concert tour. The SHCP Chorus has certainly reached beyond boarders to sing, to bring cultures together, to join the larger Lasallian vision, and truly be ambassadors of good will and song.
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