D-Day Concert Series in France
Normandy & Eastern France provide opportunities to pay musical tribute to thousands of Americans who never returned to America, having given their all for the present freedom of Europe and our country.
Commemorate the Anniversary of D-Day in this Exclusive Concert Series in France
The D-Day Concert Series in France includes destinations and musical experiences that remind participants of Franco-American ties and long friendships that date back to the American Revolution in 1776. In 2024, we commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and the liberation of France. Normandy (Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery) and Eastern France provide opportunities to pay musical tribute to thousands of Americans who never returned to America, having given their all for the present freedom of Europe and our country.
In Paris on any given day, there are possible as many as 300 difference concerts. The French love and support both traditional and contemporary musical performances. Paris was “second Vienna” for French musicians and composers including Berlioz, Auger, Gounod, Saint-Saens, Franck, Faure, Ravel, Debussy, and many others. France boasts many music festivals throughout the country, particularly in the summer months. The potential availability of prestigious and gorgeous venues in Paris alone is staggering. Imagine a performance by your musicians in Notre-Dame Cathedral, Les Invalides, La Madeleine, La Trinite, Jardins du Luxembourg, St. Roch, the American Cathedral, St. Severin, or a French château! Your concert tour is truly enriched with your surroundings of art history, architecture, and beauty that is best experienced “first hand.”
SAMPLE ITINERARY
ROUEN / NORMANDY / PARIS
6 nights / 8 days
Day 1 | Depart USA
- Depart via scheduled air service to Paris, France
Normandy
Day 2 | Paris / Normandy
- Arrive in Paris
- Meet your full-time MCI Tour Manager, who will remain with the group for the entire duration of your time in Europe. Board your awaiting chartered motorcoach
- Transfer to Caen via Rouen
- Lunch, on own, as well as a bit of free-time at leisure in Vieux Rouen – the historic old center/city center of Rouen, that is one of the best-preserved medieval city centers of France
- Visit the stunning Rouen Cathedral. In the Place de la Cathédrale stands the Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame, an UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest cathedrals in France, as well as one of the most magnificent Cathedrals in the world! The most striking feature is the elaborately articulated west front which was painted by Monet. See the site of Joan of Arcs execution
- Continue to the Normandy region for the hotel for late afternoon hotel check-in with some free time to relax and freshen up
- Welcome Dinner included, and overnight
Day 3 | Falaise / Normandy
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Excursion to Falaisie. The Mémorial de Montormel in Falaise commemorates the decisive Battle of the Falaise Pocket in August 1944, where Allied forces encircled and defeated the German army, marking a crucial turning point in the Normandy campaign. Overlooking the battlefield, the memorial offers exhibits, artifacts, and panoramic views that provide insight into the intense fighting and its significance in World War II
- Concert Performance at the Mémorial de Montormel in Falaise as part of an annual Commemoration attended by thousands
- Lunch included, and some free-time in one of these Omaha beach-front towns
- Afternoon excursion to Saint Laurent-sur-Mer to visit one of the first towns liberated by the allied forces. Visit the Omaha Beach Memorial, the National French memorial that honors the over 24,000 Allied Force heroes who died during the Battle of Normandy. Also visit the Les Braves Omaha Beach Memorial. Les Braves is a memorial that is located in the center of Omaha Beach and commemorates the fallen American soldiers of World War II who lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy, June 6th 1944. A performance at Omaha Beach may include a concert, participation in an annual parade, a standing performance surrounding on of the monuments or in an enclosed church, community center or concert hall (if a choir).
- Dinner included
- Return to your hotel for overnight
Paris
Day 4 | Normandy / Paris
- Breakfast at the hotel, followed by check-out
- Morning excursion to Coleville to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, including a short musical recital.
- Visit and tour to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, the site of the June 6th, 1944 Normandy Invasion. White marble crosses and Stars of David stretch off in seemingly endless rows at the Normandy American Cemetery, situated on a now-serene bluff overlooking the bitterly contested sands of Omaha Beach. Also visit the visitor’s center
- Lunch, on own
- Afternoon transfer to Paris for afternoon hotel check-in and some free-time to relax and freshen up
- Dinner included, and overnight
Day 5 | Paris
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Enjoy a guided tour of Paris historique and see the most historic parts of the city including seeing the Notre-Dame Cathedral (which is scheduled to be re-opened in April of 2024, following it’s devastating 2019 fire), Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Paris Peace Monument, Place de la Concorde, Luxembourg Palace and Gardens, Latin Quarter, Place de la Bastille, Invalides Hospital, and other Parisian highlights. Also enjoy Paris in all of its “Pre-Olympic” glory as it prepares for the 2024 Olympic games that the city will be hosting in late July and August of 2024. See numerous venues and spaces being used and on-display for the Olympic Games
- Lunch, on own
- Enjoy an afternoon visit to the Montmartre district of Paris (close to the original Moulin Rouge) that brims with old-world village charm and flaunts its Bohemian past – atop a large hill with stunning views of the City of Paris and home to the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur on top of its summit. Enjoy some time for souvenir shopping, exploring the numerous local artisan stands, and visit one of the local Parisian cafes that offers a variety of delicious homemade French desserts and fresh pastries.
- Dinner included, and overnight
Day 6 | Versailles / Paris
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Enjoy a visit and tour of the Versailles Palace and Gardens. Louis XIV transformed his father’s hunting lodge into the monumental Château de Versailles in the mid-17th century, and it remains France’s most famous and grand palace. Situated in the leafy, bourgeois suburb of Versailles, southwest of central Paris, the baroque château was the kingdom’s political capital and the seat of the royal court from 1682 up until the fateful events of 1789 when revolutionaries massacred the palace guard. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were ultimately dragged back to Paris, where they were ingloriously guillotined
- Lunch, on own
- Concert Performance in Paris as part of the D-Day Concert Series in France
- Enjoy some afternoon free time at leisure in Paris. You can also enjoy some additional sightseeing with you MCI Tour Manager if you wish
- Dinner included, and overnight
Day 7 | Paris
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Enjoy a tour of Paris artistique, including entrance to the Louvre, the largest and greatest art museum in the world, with more than 45,000 works of art displayed over 700,000 sq. ft. It’s packed with enough artistic masterpieces to make the Mona Lisa weep. Rembrandt, Reubens, Botticelli, Ingres, and Michelangelo are all represented here; subjects range from the grandiose (Antoine-Jean Gros’s gigantic Napoleon Bonaparte Visiting the Plague-Stricken in Jaffa) to the mundane (Vermeer’s tiny, exquisite Lacemaker). You can gape at a diamond the size of a golf ball in the gilded Galerie d’Apollon or marvel over exquisite bronze figurines in the vast Egyptian section, there’s something for everyone
- Lunch, on own
- Enjoy your afternoon free at leisure in Paris. You can also enjoy some additional sightseeing with you MCI Tour Manager if you wish
- Farewell Dinner included, followed by evening cruise on Seine River with Bateaux Mouche
- Return to the hotel for overnight
Depart for home
Day 8 | Depart for home
- Breakfast at the hotel, followed by check-out
- Depending on your flight departure time, you may be able to enjoy some morning time free at leisure in Paris
- Transfer to the Paris Airport for return flight home
- Arrive home to the USA, the same day as your departure from Paris
AMERICAN CELEBRATION OF MUSIC IN FRANCE
CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION
You can also call us at 800-395-2036
or send us an email at [email protected]