Italy Tour Travelogue Three
Dear Friends,
Perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and certainly one of the most culturally significant and influential, Florence, Italy sits nestled in the center of the Tuscan region of Italy. Home to Michelangelo, Botticelli, and the powerful Medici family, it gave rise to the Renaissance. The magnificent Duomo still towers over the skyline, which has changed little in the last several centuries. With two performances scheduled in the city, the Georgia Boy Choir rolled into town on Friday and made their way almost directly to the Uffizi Gallery, one of the greatest art museums in the world. Art teacher extraordinaire, Hannah White told them ahead of time some particular paintings they would be seeing, and why they were significant, bringing the experience to life for the boys. After a delicious dinner they settled in to their convent-turned-lodging-house, complete with a private garden and frescoes on the ceilings.
On Saturday, they had the privilege of visiting the Accademia Galleria, which houses many of Michelangelo’s incredible sculptures, including, of course, the pièce-de-résistance, the imposing, 17-foot sculpture of David. The young travelers enjoyed seeing this magnificent feat of accomplishment and learning about the techniques of sculpture that Michelangelo had employed.
In the evening, they made their way to the Ognissanti (All Saints) Church on the bank of the Arno River. This church, with its unassuming façade, is magnificently beautiful on the inside. Its splendid acoustic makes it an ideal location for a choral concert. Inspired by the beauty around them, the boys sang with passion and artistry. They are clearly hitting their stride, and those in attendance felt privileged to hear them.
On Sunday morning, the Choir made their way across town to the fabulous Church of Santa Croce. This magnificent building is the eternal resting place of many of Italy’s luminaries, including Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, and the composer, Gioachino Rossini. Clad in their stunning blue and green vestments, the Choir opened with Rossini’s stirring a capella motet, “O Salutaris Hostia.” They sang with equal amounts of strength and sensitivity. It was a marvelous beginning to a beautiful service, punctuated throughout with the ethereal sounds of the Choir. At the conclusion, the Chief Musician of the church declared that he had rarely heard anything quite so wonderful in his many years at Santa Croce.
After spending much of the afternoon sightseeing and souvenir shopping throughout the city, they attended a Gregorian Chant Vespers service in the Duomo. When the service concluded, and the parishioners quietly made their way through dimly lit sanctuary filled with the essence of incense, one of the priests invited the boys to sing a song under the imposing dome. They formed a perfect circle in the center of the church, and as the dulcet sounds of Palestrina’s, “Sicut Cervus,” a masterpiece of Renaissance choral music, flowed from the boys’ voices, they filled the cavernous sanctuary with stunning beauty. Again, the priests and church musicians were effusive in their thanks to the boys for singing it for them.
One could spend weeks in the city of Florence and never fully digest all of its charms, but the Georgia Boy Choir certainly sampled a fair amount and shared some of their own during their three days there.
Until next time,
The 2019 Georgia Boy Choir Italy Tour