Thanksgiving is coming up, and we have so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my family, my friends, and my colleagues. I’m thankful that we are back to traveling and continuing to change the lives of directors, music educators, and their groups — it’s what Encore does best! As we look ahead to traveling in 2022, many destinations are now either denying entry to unvaccinated visitors or have introduced vaccination requirements in order to move freely within the country. Even in locations without such official regulations, delivering a safe and enjoyable travel experience for all becomes difficult to achieve in the close quarters of a group performance tour when some travelers are vaccinated while others are not. Given these restrictions, all Encore Group Leaders and travelers will need to be fully vaccinated in order to travel. Just like a passport, vaccination cards are going to be an essential travel item for the foreseeable future. For 2022 travel, requiring vaccinations is the responsible and logical policy. If it becomes clear that vaccines will continue to be necessary for 2023 travel, you can expect the policy to remain in place. We hope this policy gives all of our travelers peace of mind. There is now no reason to worry that you will be sharing a bus or hotel room with an unvaccinated traveler, and you don’t need to worry about missing out on any elements of your itinerary. I’ve been vaccinated for months, am now boosted up, and have loved recently traveling to Spain, Italy, Greece, the UK and France. And, as always, can’t wait to travel again. See you out there somewhere.
December 15, 2025 David Solar Join Us at the 2026 Jazz Educators Network Conference in New Orleans The 2026 Jazz Educators Network Conference is just around the corner, taking place January 7–10 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. Backstage Blog
December 11, 2025 Encore Tours Announcing the 2026 Encore Crescendo Contest Performance tours create moments that stay with you. A quiet warmup before the doors open. A view from the risers that captures the character of a venue. Backstage Blog
December 8, 2025 Encore Tours Encore Experiences: Behind the Curtain in Hungary The next chapter in our “Behind the Curtain” series, created for travelers who seek artistry, culture, and connection in every note. Backstage Blog