Testimonials from PA Tours and Events

PA Tours and Events provided the Marching Koalas with a tour packed full of exciting concert opportunities as well as a blend of cultural experiences that have left all of its members with lifetime memories of the visit to China and World Expo. They had the interests of group at the forefront of their professional operation.

Geoff Lynch, Band Director

I now have a clear path to my dream job - in management consulting - and there's no doubt my participation in the ISLP Business Delegation Sydney, 2010 substantially improved my application.

Michael Reardon

Performing under the baton of Frank Ticheli in world-class concert halls was an inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students.

Ingrid Martin, Eltham High School Conductor

My sincere thanks goes to you and Tas for your support and exemplary service. I am so pleased we came together with you on this tour. I met with the girls for the final time tonight before our trip and the buzz was palpable. SO exciting.”

Lindy Connett, Artistic Director, Waratah Girls Choir

Compared to previous tours this trip was just as exciting but extremely well organised. Our guides were helpful and knowledgeable especially Mark Li in Beijing - he was excellent. PA was very professional in their presentation of all aspects of the trip and we felt that they were well organised and well structured. We felt it was a very successful tour for the Koalas and many enjoyable experiences for us all to remember.

John Gill, Director

The musical growth our students underwent in preparing for and performing in China was astounding. It was an experience we will never forget, and we will be reaping the benefits for many years to come.

Ingrid Martin, Eltham High School Conductor

The experience was every bit the grand finale to my directing career that I had hoped it would be and more, and more than met everyone else’s expectations. Many thanks to you and your professional team for making our performing tour of Shanghai the ‘once in a lifetime’ experience that we were hoping for.

Alexis Fitzgerald, Voice Weavers China tour June 2010

“On behalf of the entire tour committee from Seattle Men’s Chorus, we wanted to take a moment to thank you and let you know what a tremendous success our New Zealand and Australia tour was because of the personal touch provided by you and each member of your tour staff at PA. We would book our tour with you again in a heartbeat as well as strongly recommend your company to anybody who asks us”.

Bob Jackson, Co-chair Seattle Men’s Chorus

Dear Australian colleagues OCHSA Symphony recently won a big, national award here in the US for our Australian tour last August. It's the award for American Repertoire on Foreign Tours and we could have been up against any US orchestra (professional, college and youth). We also placed first in the youth orchestra category for programming contemporary music (Brian Buggy's piece helped with that too!).

I'm pleased of course to have won and that our great time in Sydney was rewarded like this. We all still look back so fondly on our time there and meeting everyone and thank all of you for helping to make it possible.

Orange County High School of the Arts

"Just thought I’d let you know how thrilled everyone was with their Mozart experience. It was a fabulous stay in Sydney and the music and singing is etched in the hearts and souls of all who attended. What a conductor! The rehearsals were as informative and enjoyable as the actual performance. We loved every minute of it. Thankyou to you especially but also the girls, for making our stay so enjoyable. Everything appeared to be so well organized so hearty congratulations to you all.

I’m still wondering in amazement at the wonderful opportunity you presented to us with your invitation to attend Mozart’s Requiem – we all felt truly blest to be given such an opportunity so on behalf of everyone, my very sincere thanks. You will never know just how much it has meant to us all to take part in such a special event. ".

Alexis Fitzgerald, Esk Community Choir

"I do want to specifically thank the amazing folks at PA. Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty, these guys and gals provided service that most other travel groups can only dream of receiving. Their professionalism was absolutely first-rate, and we simply wouldn't have been nearly as successful without their efforts".

Doug Litwin, GGVI Event Chair

"The performance program and organisation afforded to us by PA was second to none. The staff were a great set of people all of whom were very helpful and saw to all our needs and requests. Thanks to this the whole trip went off without a hitch".

David Pugh, MusicalBiz, British Youth Theatre group for Sydney Olympics 2000

World Voices Australia proved to be an exceptional experience – both musically and culturally – for our group. From top notch tour guides to the once-in-a-lifetime experience of singing in the Sydney Opera House, I would highly recommend this Kingsway International program to future Choirs.

David Hobson, Centenary College Choir, Australia and New Zealand, 2009

PA Tours & Events was absolutely wonderful in every respect! The opportunity to sing in the Opera House is a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed. Do everything you can to get there, PA Tours & Events will take care of the rest.

Mary Jane Keathley and the choir, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Charleston, SC, Australia and New Zealand, 2009

Testimonials from our partners KI Concerts

KI did an extraordinary job planning and administrating our tour. The office staff handling our booking made us feel as if we were their number 1 priority. Once in Scotland, we were educated and entertained wonderfully by our guides, and the itinerary was perfectly tailored to our needs and desires. We look forward to our next KIconcerts tour!

Dr. Karen Kennedy, Director of Choirs, Towson University, Scotland & England, 2009

We were treated like royalty – it was a fantastic experience that we will never forget!

Dr. Ian Loeppky, University of North Alabama Choir, Italy, 2009

Can't thank you enough for the wonderful concert venues you arranged for us in China! The response of the Chinese people was most gratifying and rewarding for all of us. Our tour escorts Scott Jiang and Angela Wang were fabulous . . . can't imagine having nicer, more knowledgeable guides anywhere. My group loved them. The hotel accommodations, too, were great!

John Goldsmith, Heinz Chapel Choir, University of Pittsburgh, China, 2009

Travel and music are not so different from one another. They have a beginning and an ending. They are about finding a flow in the turn of a road or in a line of notes. They are about discovering beauty in sound and sight and touch. They are about touching the part of the human spirit that yearns for something greater. Travel and music are not so different from one another, and Kingsway International has found a way of bringing them together into a perfect blend of harmony.

Starfire Singers, CA, Denmark, 2009

I have the picture of us performing in Shanghai in my office that was the biggest performance in my program's history I still can't believe the response that we got.

Patrick Antinone, GHS Mustang Choirs, China, 2008

Last spring, we went with KIconcerts to Italy and honestly, it was the best experience we have had. To perform in some of the huge churches and cathedrals ...there is nothing to compare that experience within the USA. We were forever changed.

Cassie Gillis, Bremerton High School Choirs, Italy, 2009

This was truly one of the best tours ever. The girls can't stop talking about it.

Julia Fahey, Partners in Praise, Greece, 2009

Kingsway Concerts continues to provide the highest quality experience around. Each of the KI staff is friendly, extremely professional, and always attentive to the needs of my ensembles. A first rate outfit!

Dr. Robert Frelly, Southern California Youth Philharmonic, Prague, Salzburg, Vienna, 2009

Dear Robin, hope the Caerphilly concert was as good as ours last evening. I'm sure it was. The Cardiff concert exceeded our expectations with both choirs being enjoyed by the audience. Thanks once again for a great concert. Please give our thanks to the choir and their brilliant conductors.

St Lukes Church Cardiff, Wales, 2009

A 'big thank-you' to you and your team for allowing us to sing with the visiting choir on their Welsh Tour. I know they thought they were privileged to sing with us in such surroundings, but we truly were overwhelmed by their professionalism and quality of singing.

Caerphilly Male Voice Choir, Wales, 2009

KI's organisation of the Bach B Minor Mass tour to Korea and China by Yale Schola Cantorum and Collegium Players was a resounding success and beautifully executed in every way. We were all tremendously impressed by the attention to detail in the concert venues, the expertise and charm of the guides, the quality of the hotels and meals, and the calm resourcefulness and sensitivity displayed by every member of the Kingsway team.

Simon Carrington, Yale University, Seoul and China, 2009

Terrific planning and excellent organization. KI worked with our specific interests and cared for our every possible need.

Dr. Steve Zielke, Oregon State University Choir, Hawaii, 2009

KI provided a lifetime experience that many of our students will never forget!

South High Band Boosters Inc., Italy, 2009

The Greeley Chorale has traveled with Kingsway now 3 times and our Concert Tours to China, Italy, and Greece have been very wonderful and rewarding. The KI team was complete and thoughtful throughout our travels. They were especially helpful in emergency events.

Greeley Chorale, Greece, 2009

I was most pleased with KI staff in all our dealings. They were professional in all our exchanges; very timely in responding, demonstrated great patience in answering the same question a number of times, had great follow through and did it all with great kindness. Your staff comes highly recommended.

Sue Pitman, University of Wisconsin-Stout Alumni Program, Italy and Austria, 2009

I could not be happier with our tour. I just loved it. I love the Kingsway staff, and it was a pleasure to work through all the business ends of things with them. I was very happy with accommodations and food. The itinerary and performance schedule was just what I wanted, and I think the variety of musical experiences and the amazing venues were exceptional. Good size audiences too! I wouldn't change a bit of that. Again, I loved, loved, loved the tour and I cannot wait to do it again!

Bill Liberatore, Henry M. Gunn High School Choir, Prague and Vienna, 2009

In ten years of touring, this is the first time we used Kingsway, and the best tour we have been on. Everything ran smoothly, and the tour guide, bus driver and bus exceeded our expectations. We were able to see so much of Spain, and the audiences at our performances were great.

Georgia Regional Girls Choir, Spain, 2009

KI allowed us flexibility to make our performance tour a true once in a lifetime experience. Other tour companies force you into a 'cookie cutter' type tour. During our entire trip we felt that our happiness was Kingsway's top priority. I would definitely recommend KI as a company anyone would be happy to do business with.

Mary Pietro, Director of Liturgical Music, St. Mary Parish, Buffalo Grove, IL, Italy, 2009