Live Vicariously Through Me (Again)

Hi all!

T minus 10 days until I return to my beloved Italia :) Let's be real, my countdown started 60 days out. I have a premonition that this will be another epic trip abroad. Singing the Verdi Requiem on the 150th anniversary of Italian unification and celebrating my quarter-life milestone. I can't wait!

In the meantime, here's what I'll be up to abroad.

Roma

On the 25th, my two roomies and I will peace out of the USA to get into Rome a few days earlier than the rest of the choir to do some serious sightseeing. (We have a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam which should give us some time to make mischief, too.) We'll be staying at Roma dei Papi Hotel de Charme solely based on my knowledge of having been to Rome 5 years ago. It's right near the Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo, and across the Tiber from Piazza Navona and The Pantheon.

Angels and Demons scene at Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWzyab1v-lI

Other things on the to-do list:

Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain

Roman baths

Colosseum

Arch of Constantine

Roman Forum

etc.

Perugia, Todi, Gubbio

After a few days in Roma, we will catch a bus with our compatriots to Perugia which is at the heart of Umbria (the region of Italy right below Tuscany). Perugia will act as our base city as we tour the region singing Verdi's Requiem.

During the day, we have free time before rehearsal to rent a car, hop a train, or hike anywhere we please. These adventures are still TBA but will most likely include a trip to Spoleto to check out the music festival, Festival dei Due Mondi. (The Spoleto Festival in Charleston is the USA counterpart.)

Concert time! The amassed choir will consist of peeps from Washington, Pennsylvania, members of the National Philharmonic Chorale, and the University of Perugia. Our orchestra is from Budapest, Hugary. Good thing music transcends language :) Speaking of music, check out our uber music-themed hotel: http://www.hotelgio.it/eng/home.htm.

July 1- First performance in Todi at the Teatro Comunale (below)

July 2- Performance at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo .... Post-concert party per mi cumpleanno!!!!!!

July 3- Performance in Gubbio at the Teatro Comunale

Firenze

5 years ago I rubbed il porcino's snout, and as the legend goes, I've found myself returning to the city I love :) A small group in my choir is traveling via rail for a day trip to the inspiring city of the Renaissance. I can't put a finger on what I love about Florence. It's steeped in rich history, you could walk by a Michelangelo or Donatello and not even realize it-- art and beauty are so commonplace... The moment to moment feeling of what exactly it means to be Italian -- living, breathing, experiencing another way of life... Gaahhhh I can't wait to stop by The Oil Shoppe for Alberto's famed meatball subs :)

Ciao ciao!

Live Vicariously Through Me!

Hi all!

I fly out of Newark on the 1^st destined for the Land of Fire and Ice. This note will be a small compilation of Iceland-y things that I will be seeing/doing just shy of the Arctic Circle.

First things first- learn Icelandic. The language remains true to its Old Norse heritage since, for centuries, Iceland was chillin’ in the middle of the ocean with little contact to the outside world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxzhWkMD3co&feature=fvw

Give yourself a break from even trying to pronounce half of those words. Imagine that you are now at the world famous Blue Lagoon, a huge geothermal pool with healing powers. Yes folks, it’s miracle water and I plan on soaking it up when my plane touches ground at Keflavík. http://www.bluelagoon.com

I will hang my hat at the (must pronounce the next 4 years with a British accent) FABULOUS Hotel Plaza Reykjavík. Accommodations are in the "old town" (apparently a baller location). It’s one block from the tourist info office and 2 blocks from the grocery and the wine stores- let’s be honest, the latter is important to know. http://www.hotelclub.com/Hotel-Plaza-Reykjavik/

Get to know the city and see the sights. This is exactly what I plan on doing. The Hallgrímskirkja is on my list as well as the Viking ship sculpture and the Icelandic Phallological Museum. I will be so upset if I don’t find this place and for the record, I still can’t spell or pronounce Hallgrímskirkja. In the meantime, let Samantha Brown be your guide: http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Samantha_Brown/Video/Sam_Sees_Reykjavik

The reason you go to Iceland is to see the vast landscape. No lie, all the pictures I’ve seen on Google are absolutely stunning. The roomz and I are going to rent a car and drive the Ring Road (practically Iceland’s only highway that encompasses the island in, you guessed it, a ring shape) and go hiking. The destination is still TBA, but a visit to that silly volcano may be on the agenda. http://www.nat.is/gonguleidireng/gonguleidir_allt_landid.htm

The other reason to go to Iceland is to sing- heyooooo. Not really, but that’s why I’m going. We’re singing with a group called Vox Academica and the conductor has performed with Björk. (I’ve actually been listening to her stuff to prep for the trip and I found I like only 2 of her songs.) Speaking of Björk, where I’m singing is where she performed on her Volta tour. Check out our venue, the Langholtskirkja church: http://kirkjan.is/langholtskirkja/

Iceland has a surprisingly bangin’ music scene with more musicians per capita than any country in the world. This nation of 300,000 people (about the same size as Cincinnati) has ninety music schools, about four hundred choirs, four hundred orchestras and marching bands, and an unknown number of rock bands, jazz combos, and dj’s. For all of you musically-inclined people our rep is the following (not in this order):

Bound for the Promised Land, Wilberg

Alleluia, Thompson

O Magnum Mysterium, Lauridsen

Recessional (Not One Sparrow is Forgotten), Hawley

Saints Bound for Heaven, Wilberg

Chichester Psalms, Bernstein

Agnus Dei (Adagio for Strings), Barber

Ave Maria, Regnarsson

The Ave Maria was written by an Icelandic composer and the chords are at times haunting, alluding to the dark Icelandic winters. The only thing about this song is that the meter practically changes every measure, but then again it wasn’t hard to pick up. http://www.musicanet.org/en/CdC/augu00en.htm

Nothing too complicated, good rep for the road and 2 rehearsals before the concert.

And finally, on one of my last days in the country, I will be taking the Golden Circle tour. The Golden Circle is a 300 km long loop through central Iceland and it showcases some of the island’s most fantastic natural wonders. We will be going through Þingvellir (that “Þ” is pron. as a “’th”), seeing the Gullfoss waterfall- the largest in Europe, Geysir and Strokkur (geysers, think Yellowstone), and possibly seeing Kerið volcano crater. http://icelandontrack.com/maps/On-Track-Golden-Circle.jpg

Though I will only be in the country for a short time I hope I will be able to live up to this parting quote. “You will have truly mastered the Icelandic language when you can sip "kaffi" from a saucer through a "molasykur" between your teeth while saying: ‘Það er gott að sjá þig.’"

Bless Bless!