During our time in Venice we had the opportunity to experience several new things that could influence the work we do in Arezzo. Not only did we visit different sites with a rich musical history, such as St. Mark’s Basilica, but we were also able to attend a few musical performances. Juny Kim was one of the students who was able to go to a concert featuring works by Antonio Vivaldi. The orchestra played two short concertos and his Four Seasons. This is what she took away from her experience:

“Being a string player myself is probably what made this concert so special for me. Vivaldi is considered one of the most influential composers for string instruments, so being able to go listen to his music being played in his home town was a big deal. It was also cool to see the different techniques used by these players compared to the techniques I’ve learned in America and Korea.”

We also went on a tour of the La Fenice opera house. Being an opera singer, this was one of Jessie Barnett’s favorite parts of the trip:

“Our tour guide told us about the history for each part of the building and what operas are typically performed there now. We got to see the beautiful chandeliers in the main room, the inside of the hall (where they were setting up for a production of Il Trovatore that night), and a modal diagram of the entire building. My favorite part of the tour was probably when we got to sit inside of the Royal Box. I definitely felt pretty fancy for the few minutes we were in there.”

Rachel Whitted enjoyed visiting the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari:

“Seeing Monteverdi’s tomb and being steps away from a composer that was so influential in the development of music was a really moving sight. The combination of the tomb of Monteverdi, Titan, and the beautiful piece of art by Titan that is “Ascension of Mary” was an extremely spiritual experience that gave me chills. I really enjoyed taking in all the history that resided in the Basilica.”