ACFEA Tour Consultants

Our History
Associate Consultants for Education Abroad (ACFEA) was founded in London in 1955 to provide semester abroad programs and study and concert tours for American groups in Europe. We now arrange tours to and from all areas of the world and within North America – primarily for amateur performing arts groups. In the early nineties we changed our name to ACFEA Tour Consultants, reflecting our current focus. We have offices and representatives throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Our London office is part of Specialised Travel, the leading provider of travel services to the professional and amateur performing arts world.

What We Provide
Our Experience
We have over 55 years of experience creating custom concert tours for performing arts groups throughout the world. Uniquely, all of our Tour Managers are accomplished musicians who understand the special needs of ensembles on tour. We have also lived or traveled extensively in the places we take you. Imagine the nuance and expertise a staff of this caliber can bring to planning your tour. From the start, one of us personally works with you to determine your group's musical interests, budget, size, travel dates and itinerary. Our goal is to create a concert tour for you that will provide unique opportunities for memorable and life-changing experiences.

“The concert venues were all wonderful. It was such a pleasure to have really interesting and varied acoustical spaces for the orchestra to experience. It helps build our listening and performance skills as a group so much. The details in general seemed exceptionally well done.”

David Harman, Conductor, Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

A Worldwide Reputation
We take pride in our talented crew and worldwide contacts. Our reputation has brought us a notable roster of clients – from the Dallas Symphony Chorus and the Colorado Children's Chorale to the Boston Youth Symphony – from the Seattle Girls' Choir and Houston's First Presbyterian Church Choir to the Stanford University Chamber Chorale. A wide range of school, church and community-based performing groups travel with us. Many satisfied ensembles return year after year, knowing that we can provide them with a memorable experience every time.

“This tour was exceptional: the quality of performance venues; great audiences; the number of performances balanced with relaxation time and sightseeing. We were well cared for and enjoyed every minute.”

Deborah DeSantis, Artistic Director, Colorado Children's Chorale

Attention to Detail
We know that great performances require hours of preparation. So our concert tours let you focus on what you do best – the music. We provide skilled handling of all the technical and logistical details: securing the performance opportunities your group needs, and balancing your musical, sightseeing and cultural schedules.

“ACFEA is an outstanding organization - attentive to detail, enterprising and creative in tour itinerary and concert venues with a staff of first-rate professionals.”

Robert Russell, Music Director, University of Southern Maine
Chamber Singers

Tours Customized to Your Specifications
We are also able to offer distinctive cultural experiences that could be the highlight of your tour. For example: a concert with your choir and a professional orchestra in Vienna’s Stephansdom; homestays in New Zealand; workshops with eminent local musicians; presenting a concert of Verdi choruses with your orchestra and a university choir in Rome – or being the first foreign group in many years to give a concert in a town in Bulgaria, South Africa, Ukraine or Turkey.

“Every tour that we've taken with you, and I believe this is the seventh since my first back in 1984, has provided the students in the Hamilton Choir with experiences that become lifelong memories - and this one may well have been the best of the lot. Everything went remarkably smoothly, both in the months of preparation and during the tour itself. Many, many thanks.”

Rob Kolb, Director, Hamilton College Choir

Festival and Competition Connections
Our reputation for excellence has earned us access to notable festivals and competitions throughout the world. Often, a group whose tour we are planning fits well into both the spirit and schedule of such an event. Our clients frequently find that these days of musical collaboration and camaraderie are especially memorable.

“Everything surrounding the Tallinn International Choir Festival was a highlight, from performing at the opening night concert, to the three rounds of competitions, to hearing so many wonderful choirs from around the world, and especially being called to the stage twice to perform at the awards ceremony because we took top honors in two categories.”

Sharon Paul, Director, University of Oregon Chamber Choir

ACFEA is proud to be a member of the following organizations: