Updates from Italy: May 19-28, 2008

The Shorter Chorale, Shorter College’s premiere performing ensemble, will make institutional history while touring Italy in May. Under the direction of Shorter alumna Dr. Martha Shaw, the choral ensemble of 43 Shorter students and five faculty/staff members will perform in Rome, Florence, Verona and Venice. This includes performing in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City; they will sing Mass at the historic basilica, where the Pope often presides.

Below are excerpts from their travel updates.

Click here for May 25-28 updates.
Click here for student reflections on the trip.
Photo Gallery

May 24

Well, it is official; I have a new favorite place in the world: Florence, or Firenzia in Italian. On our way into the city, we stopped at the Piazza di Michaelangelo from which we had a bird's-eye view of the city. Absolutely breathtaking!

A quick stop at Piazza di Michaelangelo for a bird's-eye view of Florence.

A local guide led us on a whirlwind tour past the Church of the Holy Cross (St. Cruce), Il Duomo and dozens of other sites of Medieval and Renaissance significance. We wound up at the Galleria dell'Academia, which is home to the Pieta and the statue of David. As I overheard one member of our group say: the David was one thing that exceeded expectations. The statue is huge and truly a masterpiece.

Next we went in the cathedral that is known as the Duomo, which was also magnificent. This is the famous dome that is the symbol of Florence and was the inspiration for the U.S. Capitol dome. We also saw the baptistery with the famed Gates of Paradise doors.

The Gates of Paradise doors of the Duomo Baptistery in Florence.

The Chorale poses for a group shot at the Basilica of the Holy Cross ( Santa Croce) in Florence.

Finally the tour ended in the Piazza di la Signora, where the David originally stood and a replica now stands. One corner of the Piazza contains the David, the statue of Neptune, the Greek guy slaying Medusa, the Rape of the Sabens, and a half dozen other statues. Perfectly amazing!

Also amazing was concert 3 in Santa Maria dei Ricci Church, which is a very intimate yet gorgeous cathedral. I have never heard the Chorale perform better, which is simply even more amazing considering how tired they were. The professors used it as a teachable moment to reinforce that this is when vocal technique training takes over. We estimate that 200 people came for at least part of the concert; most of them stayed throughout the whole hour. I feel blessed to have shared the experience with the Chorale and simply can't say enough good things about their director, Martha Shaw.

The Chorale performs at Santa Maria dei Ricci Church in Florence.

After the concert, we had a lovely dinner in Florence and headed back to the hotel in Montecatini for the night. We have dropped Siena from tomorrow's itinerary so that the singers and the voices will be well rested for the Vatican on Monday.

- Dawn Tolbert, Director of Institutional Relations

MAY 24 BONUS UPDATE!

Our trek through Italia has proven to be an exhilarating and enriching experience for me. From the magnificent Renaissance art and architecture to surprises and encounters around every corner, Italy exceeds all expectations. I am especially blessed and fortunate to share firsthand in the spiritually uplifting and thoroughly astounding conciertos performed by the awe-inspiring Shorter Chorale. What a magnificent company of young men and women whose dedication and appreciation of classical music is so much in evidence. I have very much enjoyed getting to know the faculty, staff and friends of Shorter College as we have shared meals, laughs and the minor inconveniences of international travel.  I believe many of us will come away changed forever as an outgrowth of this common adventure in an enchanted land.

From beautiful Tuscany,
Larry Tolbert

May 23

Just wanted to share the latest updates, which begin with the fact that I now have international phone and email service. Sorry this is so long.

Since my last email update from Venice, we have been very busy. That night, the Chorale sang at the Basilica of St. Mark in St. Mark's Square. They were actually the music for Wednesday night Mass. There was a minor disagreement (last minute, of course) with the priest over the selections they would sing, but the fact that that was all the music they had won out!

Their singing was unbelievable! As Dr. Newman said, it is so rare for us to hear music that was written for the cathedral sung in a cathedral; it was very worshipful.

Next, we hiked back to the boat, which was much larger, faster, and crowded than the morning one, but we got back in a hurry. Then, we had an 8:30 or 9 p.m. dinner time, which is early for the Italians!

Thursday was completely full. We got up early, checked out of our hotel, and went to Padua, which is home of the second oldest university in Italy. We toured a cathedral that was damaged by bombing in WWII, which nearly destroyed some of the frescoes that are an important link in art history.

Next, we headed to the city center, which had a huge open air market; then, we went back for our tours of Scrovegni Chapel, which features amazing frescoes depicting the gospel story. In addition, one end of the chapel has a mural of the Last Judgementing, with Paradise on one side and hell on the other. At the people's eye-level, giotto showed that the seven virtues led to Paradise and the seven deadly sins led to hell. It was literally a Bible in pictures for a century of people who couldn't read! Neat, huh?

After that, we had lunch and toured the Basilica of St. Anthony. He's the patron of Padua or Padova, as the Italians call it. The cathedral was beautiful, but we weren't allowed to take pictures. Then, we headed to the Hotel Turismo, which was a green color and had a gas pump outside, so we were a bit worried at first, but it turned out to be a lovely hotel; our room was much larger than the first. After a quick, light dinner at the hotel (only three courses!) we headed to the church for the concert with two local choirs. It was really cool to have an adult choir, an all-male choir, and the Chorale perform together. The dinner that followed turned into a celebration of music and new friendships!

We made it back to the hotel just before 1 a.m. And left this morning about 9. So, the four-hour bus ride to Pisa was pretty quiet. I didn't sleep much though because I didn't want to miss the Tuscan countryside. We even saw the remains of the Roman aqueduct system. Pisa is simply larger than life. I’d heard that there wasn't that much to do, but we only had a couple of hours, and it just wasn't enough! I'd go back in a heartbeat. Instead, we headed to our new hotel in Montecatini Terme, which has been a spa town since Roman times. We had a nice dinner, and Larry and I took a stroll downtown. Now, it is 10:30 p.m., and you are caught up! - Dawn Tolbert, Director of Institutional Relations

The Cathedral at Pisa

May 22  

When the Chorale sang Mass at St. Mark’s Basilica, it was phenomenal – an incredibly moving spiritual experience. Then last night there was a joint concert with two local choirs at the festival of “Great Choral Concerts 2008” in Albaredo d’Adige. The local ensembles were an all male group and an adult choir. They concluded with a combined number that was awesome. Following dinner, they enjoyed a sing-off between members of each group. It was a great night of interaction. Although they don’t speak the same language, they all speak music.

As far as touring goes, we have seen beautiful cathedrals and amazing scenery, but the concerts have been the most awesome.
 
- Dawn Tolbert, Director of Institutional Relations

The Shorter Chorale singing Mass at St. Mark's Basilica under
the direction of Dr. Martha Shaw

A very happy Chorale director on the way back to the hotel after St. Mark's Basilica performance

Shorter College President Dr. Harold E. Newman and his wife, Brenda Newman, leaving St. Mark's Square

A group photo at Café Pedrocchi in Verona

St. Anthony's Basilica

May 21
 
Everyone arrived at Hartsfield Jackson airport in plenty of time for our flight, which left on time without a single hitch. Of course, it took a long time to get to Paris...just under eight hours. Then we had a four-plus hour layover waiting on our flight to Venice. Several of the Chorale members were very excited to be in France, although most of us didn't have the heart to point out that it was just the airport!

Our flight to Venice was late taking off, but managed to land on time. I'm not sure how they do that, but it worked great. Next we loaded onto our tour bus and headed to the Hotel Venezia. We had a short break before our four-course dinner at the restaurant. Several of us were concerned about eating hotel food, but it was FABULOUS! And it lasted for more than two hours.

After a night of recovering from the flight, we headed into Venice, first by bus and then by chartered water transport. It was a cloudy morning that has turned into a beautiful day that's the perfect temperature. We've toured the Doges Palace, saw the Rialto Bridge, and had a gondola ride that included the Grand Canal and several of the smaller streets (or canals) of Venice.

The Chorale is very excited about performing at St. Mark's Cathedral tonight. Two U.S. couples who were on the flight with us from Paris have made special plans to attend. Martha Shaw pointed out to the Chorale this morning that tonight's concert will "surely be a highlight of your musical career." She added that she knows it is a highlight of hers.

Tomorrow's stops include Padua and San Martino Buon Albergo (in the Verona area). We are looking forward to continuing our Italian tour. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel.

- Dawn Tolbert, Director of Institutional Relations