On June 13, the Sidwell Chamber Chorus traveled to Italy for the annual Tuscany International Choral Festival, an event that brings choirs from all over the world to Montecatini Terme to showcase their singing talents.
According to the Tuscany International Choral Festival’s website, the event began with the opening ceremony on June 13.
The ceremony, which included traditional Tuscan flag-throwing and musical entertainment performed by a local Italian choir, provided a “friendly show of Italian hospitality” to the numerous schools attending the event.
Other choirs who attended the event included the Georgia Chorus, the Cuesta Concord Chorus Choir and CorOne Montecatini Terme.
The following three days included performances under the dome at Tettuccio Spa, a public concert in the Piazza del Popolo, and a performance at Duomo Santa Maria Assunta.
The first performance at Tettuccio Spa included an audience of primarily high school chorus groups from around the world and local chorus groups from Montecatini Terme, while the concert in the Piazza del Popolo was open to the public. The Duomo Santa Maria Assunta performance was for a Catholic Mass at the local basilica and according to the Tuscany International Choral Festival’s website, included performances of “sacred selections.”
During Sidwell’s performance for Mass at the Duomo Santa Maria Assunta, Upper School History Teacher Laura Jordan, one of the chaperones, commented that “The acoustics were so good. It sounded so otherworldly and angelic, I got chills.”
Jordan added that the trip allowed students to practice their singing and performing skills and learn about different cultures.
Between performances, the Sidwell Chamber Chorus members explored Florence and Pisa, taking advantage of guided tours of local sights included in the festival’s schedule.
To conclude the event on June 15, singers enjoyed a four-course Tuscan dinner and one final performance in the gardens of Villa Medici, founded by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. After a day of exploring Pisa, students headed back to Washington on June 17.
Junior Sophie Haar stated that the trip was “one of the best experiences Sidwell has to offer.”
With choirs attending from all over the globe and performances in historic locations according to the Tuscany International Choral Festival, Sidwell students were able to immerse themselves both in the culture of Italy and the world.
“We were also introduced to other choir groups, and we wouldn’t have been able to have the amount of fun that we had without them,” added Haar.
Haar felt that she “got so much closer with people in the chorus” and said that “friendship is what made our performances so successful.”
