May 2008 Tour of Italy
The tour began with a flight from Kansas City to Milan, via Chicago and Stockholm. After an overnight in Padova, the Chorale sang at a Mass service in the famed St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. Next they sang a memorable concert in Ferrara at the Ridotto del Teatro Comunle as part of its concert series. The Chorale stayed in the resort city of Montecatini while traveling for concerts in nearby Florence and Pistoia; then south to Arezzo for a concert in San Michele Church, and ending in Rome at the Chiesa della maddalena church. Finally home to Kansas City via Copenhagen and Chicago. The trip was highlighted by a visit to the Vatican and a memorable farewell dinner where other guests at the cafe and people from the surrounding area were enthusiastically serenaded. As one said, "They might have thought we were a bit 'tipsy' but we weren't! It was a trip full of wonderful experiences never to be forgotten." Several friends, relatives and MSU faculty joined the tour and took in many of the concerts.
A comment sent to us from our Rimini concert: "The choir was superb...this group was in a class of its own--I think they are the best we have ever had here. The audience certainly appreciated them, too. The program was really interesting, ranging from medieaval to Renaissance to contemporary music, and included Samuel Barber's 'Agnus Dei'--to die for! The most amazing piece was Damijan Mochnik's 'Adventum Spiritu Sancti;' I've never heard anything like it. It literally took my breath away."
The tour began with a flight from Kansas City to Milan, via Chicago and Stockholm. After an overnight in Padova, the Chorale sang at a Mass service in the famed St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. Next they sang a memorable concert in Ferrara at the Ridotto del Teatro Comunle as part of its concert series. The Chorale stayed in the resort city of Montecatini while traveling for concerts in nearby Florence and Pistoia; then south to Arezzo for a concert in San Michele Church, and ending in Rome at the Chiesa della maddalena church. Finally home to Kansas City via Copenhagen and Chicago. The trip was highlighted by a visit to the Vatican and a memorable farewell dinner where other guests at the cafe and people from the surrounding area were enthusiastically serenaded. As one said, "They might have thought we were a bit 'tipsy' but we weren't! It was a trip full of wonderful experiences never to be forgotten." Several friends, relatives and MSU faculty joined the tour and took in many of the concerts.
A comment sent to us from our Rimini concert: "The choir was superb...this group was in a class of its own--I think they are the best we have ever had here. The audience certainly appreciated them, too. The program was really interesting, ranging from medieaval to Renaissance to contemporary music, and included Samuel Barber's 'Agnus Dei'--to die for! The most amazing piece was Damijan Mochnik's 'Adventum Spiritu Sancti;' I've never heard anything like it. It literally took my breath away."
-Gilliam Heywood Forlevisi, Rimini, Italy, May 2008