Tag: italy

Italy Tour – Padova

After a very tiring concert and party yesterday, the choir enjoyed sleeping in late and eating a late breakfast at 9:30. After packing our bags, we got onto the bus and enjoyed the scenery on the way Padova.

In Padova, we had two hours of free time. Padova was an especially nice town because it is significantly less focused on tourism. We were able to find some very nice clothing for very good prices.

After free time, we went to go see St. Antonio’s tomb, which was found in a very lovely church were we had to cover our shoulders and our knees.

After that, we left Padova and headed to our hotel near Venice for a little bit of relaxation and a lovely dinner, where we all got to show off our new clothes! It was a great day! We look forward to our last days in Italy!

Ciao!

-Patrick and Josh

July 10, 2017
Italy Tour – Pisa and Lucca

After our relaxing and radiant day yesterday, the choir was in good spirits and ready for more walking! We kicked off the day with a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and made our way onto the tour bus. We arrived at Pisa, at the site of the famous leaning tower, and we were set free in our chaperone groups to roam the street market areas and the main area where the tower, cathedral, and baptism domes are located. We can assure you that many cheesy pictures with the tower were taken!

The next stop for the day was Lucca! We explored the town for an hour or so in areas including cathedral square and amphitheater square.

Then we made our way to the church to prepare for our concert with the local Italian choir, Arco Baleno. The church had very good acoustics but it was very humid and hot, sono calda!!! The concert was an experience none of us will forget. The Italian choir had a very powerful, strong, forward sound. Their repertoire was based off of humanitarian, and social topics such as friendship and love and inclusion. Most of their songs were accompanied by a recorded track of music. This style was quite different from our very pure choral sound with piano accompaniment. We were nervous at first, since our sound was so different, but after finishing our pieces, we received many smiles and loud clapping and our final piece, an Italian piece, was a total hit! The whole church was on their feet! The concert ended with a song both the choirs could sing together. It was an absolutely incredible experience!

The families of the choristers from Lucca cooked us all a huge amount of food set up in a hall in buffet form. Intriguing and slightly “lost-in-translation” conversation with the other choristers during our meal quickly turned into dancing. We taught them “Cadillac Ranch”, and they taught us dance after dance after dance. Most of them were in a sort of learn-as-you-go style, with leaders at the front and everyone else mirroring their movements as best we could! Everyone was hot and glowing, and had very dirty feet due to our dancing location; the dry dirt and grass field in the back of the dining hall. We danced for hours and hours having the time of our lives. We took turns sharing music with each other and dancing with each other. It was great to see the kind of parties the local youth have here. Italians reeeally know how to party!!

After many hugs and cheek-kisses and goodbyes, we made our way onto the bus again, everyone still buzzing with excitement but ready for bed! Until tomorrow, Ciao!

-Emilia and Elena

July 10, 2017
Italy Tour – Cinque Terre

The sixth day in Rome for the choir started bright and early as we all hopped on the bus at 7:20AM and headed to the docks where we would depart for our day in Cinque Terre!

Our tour of Italy’s coast was absolutely breathtaking! We had the opportunity to take lots of pictures as we floated between each cliff side town along Italy’s coast! It was around lunch time when we arrived in Cinque Terre for our day of beach fun and small town adventures! Cinque Terre is a series of five beautiful little towns along the coastline of Italy full of small shops and charming cafes! Cinque Terre is famous in Italy as the home of the inventor of pesto! Many of the choristers indulged in the towns’ famous sauce for lunch! After some time at the beach and exploring, the choir hopped on the train back to our hotel where we had some free time to swim in the pool and relax after a very vigorous few days in Italy!

The choristers were finally allowed to wear there casual cloths to dinner! Tonight we dined in the hotel and the staff were absolutely charming! As gratitude for all they had done the choir sang for all the waiters! We think they like it!

To end our night we gathered together to share our favourite experiences in Italy so far with one another! It was a fantastic time filled with laughter! Today was a resounding success and we all look forward to days we have left in Italy!

~ Buona notte (good night) Josh

July 9, 2017
Italy Tour – Florence!

The Calgary Children’s Choir had a bright and early start this Friday morning, having breakfast at 6:30am. After breakfast we packed up then hit the road. We embarked on the journey from Rome to Florence on our Luxurious coach.

After resting for 2 hours, our tour guide, Adrianna, gave us a brief overview of the Rnaissance culture in Italy. From the bus we walked around the streets of Florence and experienced the Famous Florence Market, which is known for it’s leathers. Many of us purchased fine quality bags and backpacks.

Next we headed to the academic gallery Museum, where we met our local tour guide for the day. We learned lots about different pieces of artwork, especially those created by Michelangelo.

The choristers went outside and continued sightseeing with the local tour guide. We saw the Florence Cathedral, the Centre Place Plaza and the spectacular Bridge Scenery. Thanks to Adrianna, the choristers got to shop for 2 more hours and eat on the beautiful streets of Florence. After our delicious meal, we the sea of green seaweed of the CCC went to a viewing point that over looked the city of Florence.

After, we hopped on the bus and went to Montecatini for the night.

~ Ella and Olivia ~

July 8, 2017
Italy – Rome Day 3!

We had another amazing (albeit very warm) day. The choir started the day off singing a concert at St. Agnes’s church, a beautiful space. Around the age of 12-13, St. Agnes became a martyr. She had made a vow of chastity, and when a prince of Rome tried to break that vow, he was smited by an angel. When she was accused of witchcraft, she prayed and brought the prince back to life. It is said that her skull is preserved in the chapel of heads.

After our concert we had two hours of free time and a delicious lunch in the Piazza Navona.

After lunch we had even more free time! We took a short walk to the Trevi fountain, which we had seen on day one (but trust us, it is worth seeing twice). We went on a little walking trip to Compo Dei Fiori, a little square near our restaurant. On our walk we visited a wonderful church. Look at the ceiling, do you think that’s real or painted?

After all that walking we were tired so we decided to do…… some more walking! We took a little trip to a famous neighbourhood called Travestere. The group saw some amazing things, including this amazing Middle Ages church!

After our delicious dinner, we headed back to the bus, where we had to bid farewell to our lovely driver, Federico. As we leave Rome, we will leave you with the best view Rome has to offer.

Farewell & goodnight, Grace and Adriana.

July 6, 2017
Italy Tour – Rome Day 2!

We had an early start today being on the bus at 7:45, which then took a scenic route to the renowned Vatican City. As you could imagine it is a very popular place, but with the help of our fantastic tour guide Adriana we took the fast track and promptly met up with our Vatican guide Rosanna.

She was astoundingly knowledgeable and helpful whenever we had questions about the art or how to turn on our guide head sets. We saw so many priceless sculptures and extravagant hallways within the museum, including a spinning sculpture, as demonstrated by Rosanna.

We were then led to the famous Sistine chapel. As soon as we entered both the choristers and the chaperones were in awe. We couldn’t help but take in the story of creation on the ceiling as well as the 100 plus body portrait on the front wall. Truly a masterpiece.

Reluctant to leave, we found our way out of St. Peter’s and were once again struck by the beauty, and the heat, of St. Peter’s square.

After a quick lunch and some well deserved gelato, we got into our concert attire and took a very sweaty hike up to the basilica. For the umpteenth time today we were taken aback. The intricacy and pure grandeur of the basilica was so incredible that we agreed no picture taken on an iPhone nor a Nikon could do it justice…. but we sure did try. Finally it was time to sing in the afternoon mass. Guided into the choir space by the music director David, we sang truly for the joy of it. It was a lovely mass in Italian and Latin that brought us to the end of our first concert in Italy and it sure did set the bar high.

Ciao until tomorrow!

-Heather

July 6, 2017
Italy Tour – Rome!

This morning was our first rehearsal of the tour! We found a cute little conference room on the upper level of the hotel, and practiced for about two hours. Following the rehearsal, the choir went to the small bars (little restaurants) just outside of the hotel for lunch.

The remainder of the afternoon consisted of a TON of walking and sight-seeing. On the way to the Colosseum, the choir stopped at the Altare della Patria, which turned out to be the very first place we were told to NOT sing! We thought the security guard assumed we were busking and stopped us mid-song. Despite the disappointment, the building was stunning nonetheless.

Next on the tour, the choir was able to go into the Colosseum! Luckily we didn’t have to wait in the long lines for the public, as Adriana (our magnificent tour guide) used her connections to get us in quickly. The views were breathtaking, and the architecture even more unbelievable. It’s astonishing that such a structure could still be (partially) standing 2000 years later. Our Colosseum tour guide was fantastic, too!

In our chaperone groups, the choir was let free to explore a few streets within the city centre. Within the two hours that we had, groups had the opportunity to buy souvenirs, enjoy gelato, and familiarize with the area. The streets were so charming, and the shop owners were lovely as well.

Following our excursions, the choir met up at a local restaurant for another fantastic three-course meal. We sang a thanks to the staff and owner and headed back to the hotel. Today has been very eventful, and I’m sure our sore feet will enjoy a rest before the even more eventful day tomorrow!

Goodnight from Roma

-Kyla and Hannah

July 4, 2017
Italy Tour – Travel and Rome!

Hello, it has been a very long day for all of us here in Italy!

First things first, at 9 AM on the 2^nd of July we met at the Calgary International Airport, bright eyed and exited to fly to Italy!
Except first we had to fly to Toronto and wait a bit, having some dinner while we did so. Then, at 8:00(ish) their time, we hopped on another flight! This one going direct to Rome!
Don’t we look awake!

Eight hours later we arrived, collected our things, and set out with Adrianna, our lovely guide. Please bear in mind, we had now been travelling, more or less constantly awake, for at least 15 hours. But it was only noon in Italy! So we headed to our lovely hotel, found some delicious lunch from local places, and settled in for an hour or so. I am told there are some who did not sleep during this time. I was not one of them.

At 3:30, 21 hours into our day, we met back in the lobby to go into central Rome and have a walking tour. It was nominally supposed to take us to a number of different fountains, including the famous Trevi fountain. I would give you play-by-play details, but it was just so phenomenal. Every corner you turned, every side street you took, led you to another breathtaking piece of artistry. We learned to drink from ancient roman fountains, and even managed to sneak quickly into the Pantheon since there were no lines! We even sang a little, just to enjoy the sound of our voices in the ancientness streets.

By about the time we were ready to drop, we arrived at a perfect place to! Dinner was lovely, even if most of us were too tired to properly enjoy it, and the gelato for dessert was phenomenal.

At long last, around 26 hours from when we first collected together, we made our way back to the coach to take us home to sleep for the night. And sleep we shall.

In fact, I’m off to do that right now.

Sweet dreams, and ci vediamo domani (see you tomorrow)!

Victoria GM

July 2, 2017
Singing In Sacred Spaces

We are very excited about many aspects of our upcoming summer tour to Italy, the food, the weather, the art; but we are perhaps most excited for the amazing performance opportunities afforded to us. During our travels we will be singing in a variety of sacred spaces, in Rome, Venice, Lucca, and others!

One of these amazing performance opportunities, will be the Calgary Children’s Choir participation in Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Perhaps one of the most iconic sacred spaces in the world, St. Peter’s Basilica was finished its second construction in 1626 and is considered one of the most beautiful architectural spaces in the Renaissance style. The Basilica, and the colonnade, and plaza outside were designed by several prominent artists: Michaelangeo, Bernini, Maderno, and Bramante.

Singing in sacred spaces is different than singing in a concert hall or theatre. Sacred spaces require a solemnity, and a respect for the purpose of the space, whether you personally subscribe to those beliefs or not.
Often in sacred spaces, a particular set of music is required; as will be the case during the CCC’s performance at St. Peter’s. We will be singing Mass, which includes music that has been set to a very specific set of liturgical texts. Our performance will also be acapella, a common requirement of singing in sacred spaces.

Most poignant of all, singing in a sacred space, especially one as old and as iconic as St. Peter’s Basilica, reminds us of all those who have used the space before us. Sacred spaces, such as churches, basilicas, and cathedrals are communal places, gathering spaces for the community to come together and share a common set of values and beliefs. In a sacred space as old and as iconic as St. Peter’s, it is remarkable to think of the many hundreds of thousands who visited, or gathered in worship at the Basilica. This will surely have a profound effect on our performance this summer.

Which performance are you most excited about for our July tour to Italy? Tell us in the comments below!

April 3, 2017
Italy and Music

We are so thrilled to be going to Italy this summer on an exciting tour! Italy is one of the most exciting places for musicians, because it is home to some of the most beautiful art, architecture, and musical history in the world! There are many aspects that make Italy an intriguing place for those who love the arts to visit:

The Renaissance:
The ‘rebirth’ of Western Music took place in Italy, and is considered a cultural movement that pulled Europe out of the Middle Ages, a dark time in our history, where science, and progress were stagnant. Italy was the home of this cultural movement, and experienced an explosion in innovation and artistic pursuits during this time. Many of the beautiful, amazing buildings and art we are fortunate to enjoy now, came out of this rebirth, and we are very excited to get to see all of this beauty during our trip this summer!

Art and Culture:
Italy is home to a great deal of Western art and culture – from the remnants of the immense Roman Empire seen at the Coliseum, the Forum, and the Pantheon, to the modern fashion we see come out of the fashion capitals like Rome and Milan, we are most fortunate indeed that these aspects of our history have been preserved so beautifully, and that legacy of art continue into the modern day. Italy is also home to the City State of the Vatican, which has massive museums, filled with a myriad of art from various eras. In Florence, the Medici family were great patrons of the arts, and that patronage has imbued the city with a wealth of beautiful art.

Italian opera:
Italy experienced a resurgence in importance during the Romantic era, when Romantic Opera came to the forefront once again. Composers such as Bellini, Rossini, and Puccini, all enjoyed huge commercial success, and their operas are considered some of the most beautiful examples of Western vocal music. Italian Romantic Opera was large in scope, and full of beautiful arias, which most people (even those who don’t know much about music!) are familiar with, including ‘Nessun Dorma’, and ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’!

We would love for you to join us this Saturday, March 11th, 2017 for our concert featuring beautiful Italian music!

March 6, 2017