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A day in Aquileia

7/20/2023

It was sad to leave Forni di Sopra, with its beautiful mountain ranges and cool breezes. But the tour goes on! Yesterday's torrent of rain and wind downed some trees, which delayed our tour bus. So we left fashionably late, and settled in for another long bus ride. The mountains faded from view, the horizon flattened, and I took a nap.

Upon arriving in Aquileia, a small town near our final destination of Gorizia, we all scattered to search for the nearest food source as quickly as possible. My group got sandwiches at a little fruit stand and cafe near our bus called the Melons Cafe. Three euro got you a HUGE slice of watermelon; so the next time you find yourself passing through this ancient Roman city, I'd highly recommend it.

Touring the basilica

After lunch, we all gathered to tour the venue for that night's concert- the Basilica di Aquileia. The original church dates back to the fourth century, and the current basilica was built in the eleventh century and rebuilt again in the thirteenth century. Attila and his Huns are responsible for one of its most extreme destructions, and scorch marks from their terrifying fires can still be found in some rooms to this day. The most spectacular part of this basilica was undoubtedly the spectacular mosaic floor, which dates back to 311 c.e. and was only rediscovered in the early 1900s. We were not permitted to step on the floor itself, and instead viewed it from a glass walkway several feet above.

Our guide Sarah informed us that this floor, spanning over 700 square feet, was originally used as a storybook of sorts, with each section teaching a different lesson of the Christian faith. This allowed parishioners to convey their teachings without the need for literacy or language. The walls are "new", having been built in the medieval era, and are white and bare. But the base of the wall that was underground for centuries is colorful- and historians suggest that the original walls were saturated with ornate frescoes (murals) of gardens and grandeur. To the common man, walking into this Basilica must've felt like entering a small slice of Heaven. I found a great video on Youtube if you'd like a 90 second tour of the space.

Il concerto

For the concert, the audience sat in pews in the 'wings' of the basilica, while the choir sang out in the direction of the uncovered mosaic. But no one seemed to mind! We had new friends follow us to Aquileia from prior stops on our trip, there were plenty of people who remembered Chamber Choir's concert there ten years ago, and thanks to the Basilica's livestreaming services we even had some of our fans from the US tune in. Thanks to those who caught it at the right time!

Our performance and subsequent encore of Shenandoah were were met with thunderous applause, and actual lightning. The sky lit up in the most incredible (and slightly terrifying) way as we raced back to our bus. We were caught in some storm-related traffic, and around 12:30 we finally made it to our hotel in Gorizia where we will be staying for the rest of our trip.

Our pick from this concert was 'Long Road' by Ēriks Ešenvalds, with lyrics by Pauline Bārde. She wrote this poem to her husband, who died far too soon in their relationship. It tells a tale of unconditional love, and the painful road to see him again. Check it out now.

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Forni di Sopra- che bellissima!!

7/19/2023

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mountains. mountains everywhere.

We spent a dreamy two days in Forni di Sopra, a quaint mountain town that many of us already can't wait to get back to someday. It boasts a population of just over 1000, and is nestled squarely in the Dolomite alps, a mountain range in Northeastern Italy.
The air was crisp, and the breeze was...well, existent. A wonderful reprieve from balmy, humid Venice. Susan, our main contact for this trip, lives here with her husband Dino. And the two of them did an amazing job of making us feel welcomed,.

Our first day there was a total free day, and we were given several fun activities to choose from if we wanted. Some got a tour of some nearby ruins, some took a chair lift ride up one of the mountains, and some went on a lengthy hike. I strapped on my sneakers and went on the hike, and I'm so glad I did! With the help of our local guide Tomaso, we did an eight mile loop with 700 meters of elevation- or nearly 2300 feet. There was even a little dog named Sole who belonged to the chef, and she did the full hike with us!
Though we were winded when we made it to the top, it was so worth it for the view. I thought we had it good in Portland with our mountains. But gazing out at the dolomites was jaw-dropping, and certainly made me feel tiny in comparison. We sang at the top of course, to the delight of some hikers who were passing by. And after the hike back down, we all grabbed lunch at the rest house at the foot of the mountains.

First stop: rest stop.

Hi Natthita!

John takes a breather in the shade.

The view from the top? Incredible.

Dinnertime!

When everyone returned from their various activities, we all rested, changed, and headed to a dinner being thrown for us in the town square. Paul Sperry headed home the following morning, so when dessert came around we toasted to him and his travels. Talk turned into song, and song turned into dance. Maeve brought their accordion to the shindig, asked the accordionist who had been playing for us if the two of them could jam, and the night began in full! Songs were traded, far too much wine was had, and the locals joined in for what became a wonderful party. Check out Brandon's contribution!

Singing at San Maria Assunta

The next morning was also a free day, and I spent it organizing files and uploading videos in the nearby gelateria, Cafe Mozart, over a good cup of coffee. Rehearsal began at 4- and after a rainstorm, a power outage, and a rainy walk back to the hotel for dinner, the concert began at 8:30 to a great turnout. We sang much of the same repertoire as yesterday, with new soloists and student conductors. The best performance of the night was almost certainly Balleilakka, Ethan's arrangement of A.R. Rahman's Bollywood hit of the same name. Take a listen!

Bonus: Check out the original video from Sivaji the Boss

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San Marco, and Tolmezzo!

7/18/2023

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Hi all! Thanks everyone for your patience, our website has had some server connectivity issues! If you're reading this, things must be working- so, welcome back! I hope you've enjoyed the bonus content I've posted on social media, and we should have no issues from here out (fingers crossed).

lA BASILICA DI SAN MARCO

On Sunday, we started our day at 8:30, singing mass at the Basilica di San Marco. I cannot stress what a huge honor this was to be allowed to sing in this space, this was a performance that Ethan, as well as many of the students in the choir, have been looking forward to for quite a while now.
The basilica is dedicated to and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city. The floors and walls are saturated with brightly colored stone and marble, and the ceiling glimmers with countless golden tiles. If you're interested in more about the basilica, check out this video from Smarthistory below!

Bonus: Click here to hear Thomas Dorsey sing Precious Lord with his congregation

The choir sung four songs from their spiritual repertoire during Mass, and their fourth and final song was Precious Lord, written by Rev. Thomas Dorsey- widely regarded as the father of gospel music. He wrote it in Chicago in 1932 following the death of his wife Nettie Harper and infant son during childbirth, and it has remained a powerful song for anyone feeling lost in this world, or just in need of some help from someone higher.
I was moved to tears- hearing such a soul-stirring song by an African American composer being performed in such a strict historical setting, so far from home, it felt unreal. It certainly didn't help to be sitting in the front row, seeing everyone's faces and their passion for this song.

Traveling to Tolmezzo

Right after Mass we headed back to the hotel, packed up our last belongings, and took a grueling walk to the water bus. We were dropped off at our tour bus, and began the winding two-hour bus ride to the town of Tolmezzo, in Northern Italy. Not much to report from the bus ride; some read books, some admired the ever-growing mountain range (the dolomites), and some napped- like Ethan and his dad, Paul.

Coro tita copetti

When we got to Tolmezzo, there was no time to rest, or check into our hotel. We had a wonderful lunch provided by the local men's chorus, Coro Tita Copetti, and then headed straight to the church for our joint concert.

The church sits on top of a hill, in a town of 10,000. The bell tower was accessible, and many students climbed up there for a good look at the countryside. If they were willing to brave the eight flights of stairs, that is.

After a good rehearsal, Chamber Choir settled in to the pews to watch the men's chorus perform first. And on top of being a lovely and gracious group, their sound was wonderful. They performed two classical pieces, as well as an arrangement of Kumbaya. Check them out!

We then swapped spots, and Chamber Choir sung their hearts out. I cried again, big surprise.

Ethan's favorite piece from this concert was the opening performance of Shenandoah- the halls echoed wonderfully, and made the traditional folk song sound akin to Gregorian chant. Take a listen now!

Due to our website issues, I'm currently playing catch up. I'll be back tomorrow with info on yesterday's free day, as well as today's upcoming concert in Forni di Sopra. Until next time!

Follow us on social media for more behind the scenes clips
instagram.com/psuchamberchoir
facebook.com/psuchamberchoir

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Free Day in Venezia- Lindsey Shares a Story!

7/16/2023

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Happy Sunday everyone! Yesterday was a free day in Venice, and everyone went off on their own adventures around the city. As for me, well, the jet lag is real. So while I stayed inside at the hotel to rest up and hide from the heat, Graduating GTA Lindsey Wildman had a wonderful day at the church of San Giorgio, not far from our hotel. And she was kind enough to sit down with me and recount their day!

"So yesterday, me, Molly, Natthita, Xavier, Sentaiu, and Henry all took the water bus across the canal to San Giorgio, which is a beautiful church across the water. We were just going there because Ethan had recommended the bell tower- he said it was much less crowded than the San Marco bell tower. And so we got there, and we walked in the church, and I was like “We have to sing here”. There were very few people there- a couple of tourists, a couple of locals, we didn’t even see any employees. It was a stark contrast from the busyness of San Marco Plaza, which is literally just across the water.

And so, we started singing Os Justi, which, we didn’t even have all the parts. We had six of eight parts…and I want to remember, I think someone wanted to do it really bad. I think Molly wanted to do it. And we also had it memorized, so, we sang Os Justi. And every time I sing at a church here, I worry that someone is going to go “Stop it, you’re not allowed to do that!” In fact, there was one church, I think it was on the first day, I sang about three notes and a janitor yelled at me in Italian! So it’s very polarizing, the different reactions from churches. Some of them love it and want us to do more, and some of them are like, “That’s not allowed here!” And, you know, that’s fair.

But here, an employee actually started recording us on her phone. And then at the end of the song she was like, “No no no, come here, this is where the choir sings from. This is a better spot for the acoustics!” So we said 'ok', and then we sang Precious Lord there. And then by the end of that, a small crowd had gathered. Probably fifteen, twenty people, which was everybody in this entire building. I think. And they wanted more after that, so we sang Adoramus Te, and then after that...well, it was just a

really beautiful place to sing in. Chamber singing especially is so meaningful. Like, it’s so fun to sing in a big group, but being able to sing with my friends, for fun, just out of the blue, being spontaneous, it’s very meaningful.

And so after we had sung, there was this man from Turkey, living in Venice, his name was Fatih. And he said he wanted a picture with us! He made this whole instagram post, “Loved hearing @PSUChamberChoir and meeting Lindsey Wildman!" Because I found him and had him follow us. He was really sweet. He shared videos of us singing in that post too.

And then, there was a woman on vacation who also loved hearing us sing, and she asked, “Where can I hear you sing again?”, so I said “Well, we’re singing Mass at San Marco tomorrow morning at 8:30 if you wanted to do that?” And she said “Yes. I will absolutely be there.” And she was there this morning! She came up, and said hi to me, and was like, “When are you leaving Venice? I want to hear you again!” And I had to say, “We’re leaving right now actually!” But I had her also follow us, so hopefully she can keep in contact."

This choir is pure magic, and it's amazing what connections are made through a love of music. Thanks to our passerby for being so cool, taking photos, and saying hello to our singers, I hope you're following along on our journey!

Another big thanks to Lindsey for her time- tomorrow we'll be recounting the choir's time in San Marco, as well as their afternoon concert in Tolmezzo. Stay tuned!

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Concert 1: Completo!! Singing at San salvador

7/14/2023

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After a grueling day of travel (and some well-deserved rest), our singers had the morning free. Some stayed in the hotel, some went shopping, and some (like me) chose to just wander and explore the streets and channels of Venice. The buildings are beautiful and old- brightly colored plaster crumbling away to reveal ageless brickwork. There are pigeons everywhere, artists selling their wares on the sidewalks, and gondolas threading through the channels like taxis. Alumni soprano Maeve was starstruck by the sight of an accordionist floating by on a gondola, and immediately started wondering how they could manage to do that themself during our trip (Yes, their accordion is ready and waiting in their hotel room. All they need is the boat).

Midday, everyone met back at the hotel in their concert blacks and walked twenty minutes to the Chiesa di San Salvatore- a Catholic Church along the Merceria, the main shopping street of Venice. Known to the locals as San Salvador, this church was consecrated by Pope Alexander III in 1177- and the construction of the church we see today began in 1508. And it. Is. Beautiful. Tall columns stretch to the ceiling, framing an ornate marble mosaic floor. Paintings, altars, and tombs fill all empty space, and behind the main altar sits a choir, made from wood and curving in a perfect half-circle.

Wait, a choir? I know what a choir is, it's not furniture!

I know, right? News to me. As well as being the name we give an ensemble of singers, a choir is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It often features finely carved and decorated wooden seats known as choir stalls, which have been in use since the medieval era.

Naturally, Ethan thought this was really cool. So he opted to perform Claudi Monteverdi's Adoramus Te from this spot in the concert, and conducted this piece twice in rehearsal with half the choir, so the other half could sit in the audience and experience a historic style of music appreciation!

Our concert in San Salvatore went well, and we enticed many people in with two pre-concert performances of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah on the sidewalk outside. Check out their performance of Unclouded Day- Shawn Kirchner's arrangement of a classic spiritual.