3/13/2011
USC School of Music Concert Choir is singing Mass at St. Peter's Basilica today in the Vatican at 5:30 pm
Here is a video recording from pre-tour concert for all of those who cannot wait to hear the University of South Carolina Concert Choir as the featured guest performers for Sunday afternoon Mass at the magnificent Basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican at 5:30 pm on March 13, 2011. The singers from Columbia, SC are concluding their 2011 Incantato Italy Performance tour with this special appearance. The group returns to the US on Monday, March 14.
3/12/2011
Bellarmine Schola dedicates final tour concert at Duomo di San Gregorio Magno, Monte Porzio Catone on March 13 at 7 PM to Japanese earthquake victims
Il Duomo di San Gregorio Magno, or the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Great, was constructed in 1666 in Monte Porzio Catone, Italy. Prince Giovan Battista Borghese, Lord of Monte Porzio, commissioned architect Carlo Rainaldi to design the structure. The façade, flanked by two sets of columns, is crowned by a triangular pediment boasting a large marble coat of arms. The molding above the central doorway bears the inscription “Divo Gregorio Magno Dicatum,” or “Dedicated to Saint Gregory the Great.” Two large bell towers also border the exterior of the church. Rainaldi constructed the church in a traditional Greek cross layout with three altars and two small chapels near the entrance. In honor of Prince Borghese, each wall bears a chancel adorned with the dragon and eagle of the Borghese coat of arms. The four confessionals are identical to those in the Roman church of Santa Maria Campitelli, also designed by Rainaldi. The church also displays 18th century images of the Via Crucis, a 17th century statue of Sant’Antonio Abate, and a large 19th century organ.
The recording below was taken at the Naples Concert on March 7 in Naples.
Bellarmine singers the featured guest choir for High Mass at St. Peter's Basilica - Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 5:30 PM
Bellarmine University's Schola Cantorum and the Louisville Vocal Project will sing High Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 5:30PM.The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Michelangelo took over a building site at which four piers, enormous beyond any constructed since the days of Ancient Rome, were rising behind the remaining nave of the old basilica. He also inherited the numerous schemes designed and redesigned by some of the greatest architectural and engineering brains of the 16th century.
Incidentally there are over 100 tombs within St. Peter's Basilica, many located in the Vatican grotto, beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here, having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI. The most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005.
The Bellarmine University singers at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi
3/11/2011
See and hear the Bellarmine Jazz Ensemble on their 2011 Italy Incantato Tour
This is a recording from the March 10 gig at the Tea Room in Siena
Bellarmine University's Schola & Louisville Vocal Project the featured guest choir at Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi on Friday, March 11 at 11 AM
BU Schola and the Louisville Vocal Project are the featured guest choir for High Mass in the Chapel of Saint Catherine within Saint Francis Basilica on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 11 AM.
The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, better known as the St. Francis Basilica, is the mother church of the Roman Order of Friars Minor, or the Franciscan Order. Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis, a Catholic deacon, preacher, and founder of the Franciscan Order. The Catholic Church also recognizes St. Francis as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and one of the two patron saints of Italy along with St. Catherine of Siena. Serving as the final resting place of St. Francis, the Basilica remains one of Italy’s most important destinations of Christian pilgrimage.
Founded in 1228, St. Francis Basilica is built into a hillside and comprises two separate churches known as the upper and lower basilicas and the crypt of the interred saint. The interior of the upper church exemplifies early Gothic architecture, and both churches flaunt intricate frescoes by late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools. Along with the accompanying friary, the basilica is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and valuable landmark in the Assisi community.
Bellarmine Jazzers take Siena by storm
What could top the inspiring setting of performing in the magical hill top town of Siena? Playing inside one of the original ancient cellar buildings forming it! The fifth Italy performance for the Bellarmine Jazz Ensemble on their 2011 Italy Incantato Tour took place in what is now known as "The Tea Room" of Siena, a quirky café-bar and favorite hangout among local students and jazz lovers just of the main square - if you know where to go.
And the Senesi sure came out on Thursday night to hear the combo under the artistic guidance of Dave Clark and Richard Burchard from Bellarmine University in Louisville play in their home town. The gig lasted a good 2,5 hours and the audience had a hart time letting go of the fine young musicians. Dave Clark was very proud of his students: "Tonight was your best Italy performance yet". And fellow Professor Meme Tunnel added: "It is amazing how they have improved since there first Italy performance on Saturday." Next stop for the Bellarmine University Music Department is the eternal city of Rome.
And the Senesi sure came out on Thursday night to hear the combo under the artistic guidance of Dave Clark and Richard Burchard from Bellarmine University in Louisville play in their home town. The gig lasted a good 2,5 hours and the audience had a hart time letting go of the fine young musicians. Dave Clark was very proud of his students: "Tonight was your best Italy performance yet". And fellow Professor Meme Tunnel added: "It is amazing how they have improved since there first Italy performance on Saturday." Next stop for the Bellarmine University Music Department is the eternal city of Rome.
3/10/2011
Rome: Sant' Agnese in Agone filled with people - USC Concert Choir performs to another full house
300+ excited people in the audience, no places to sit and hardly anywhere to stand: Another full house for USC, this was the situation in the beautiful church of Sant' Agnese in Agone at Piazza Navona in Rome at 6 pm on Thursday, March 10.
What a wonderful greeting for the University of South Carolina Concert Choir on their third and final formal during their 2011 Incantato Italy Tour. The only challenge to overcome for the singers under the direction of Dr. Larry Wyatt was to squeeze by their very excited audience to take their place in front of the altar.
"Songs for the Spirit" is the concert theme for the 2011 USC Italy and the performance features traditional and contemporary sacred works from a wide range of composers including selections from two masses. A unique feature of the concerts are that several faculty members including organist Dr. William Bates and Dr. Robert Pruzin (French Horn) who were audience favorites in Rieti on Wednesday night perform together with the singers.
Jazz in Siena: The Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble rocks the Tea Room on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 9 PM
A favorite hang-out for Sienese Jazz fans is found just off the famous Campo and the place to be on Thursday night for live music and good company is the Tea Room. After a great gig in Florence the night before, the BU Jazz Combo is taking the Siena stage here on March 10, 2011 at 9 PM. The Tea Room is also on facebook.
Happy USC singers on Piazza Navona in Rome
The University of South Carolina Concert Choir is all smiles at Piazza Navona prior to their Incantato Concert at the beautiful church of Sant' Agnese in Agone on March 10 at 6 pm.
The University of South Carolina Concert Choir sings at Sant'Agnese in Agone on Piazza Navona today at 6 PM
Friends of fine choral music in Rome are sure in for a treat: The magnificent church of Sant'Agnese in Agone on the gorgeous Piazza Navona is the third and final concert venue for the University of South Carolina Concert Choir on their 2011 Incantato Italy Performance Tour 2011. The choir from Columbia, South Carolina under the direction of Dr. Larry Wyatt is presenting sacred works for choir, Saxophone, French Horn and Viola in a feature concert at 6 PM on Thursday, March 10, 2011.
The Basilica Sant’Agnese in Agone in Rome was constructed in 1652 on the site of Saint Agnes’ martyrdom, now the location of the Piazza Navona. The designs for the Baroque church were commissioned by Pope Innocent X, whose funerary monument now lies within the church. The Pope’s family even had a large palace adjacent to the church. Baroque architect Francesco Borromini ultimately introduced a concave volume in the center of the sanctuary, creating prime acoustics for vocal music. Visitors enjoy the interior’s premier sculptural artwork, accented by the marble relief found in the main altar, as well as Bernini’s famous Fountain of the Four Rivers that lies in front of the church.
3/09/2011
Let's jazz again! Bellarmine University's next gig is on March 9 at 7 pm in Florence: Come see them at Sala Bianca (Hotel Cellai)
Now what better place than one of the hippest hotels in town is the location for the fourth concert of the Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble. After gigs to full houses and excited audiences in Maiori and Naples, the musicians under the direction of David Clark are featured on stage at the beautiful Sala Bianca within the city center Boutique Hotel Cellai on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 PM.Hotel Cellai is located in the heart of the historic center of Florence. Its style recalls the one of the ancient inns of past times where young, European aristocrats stayed while discovering the beauty and artistic mysteries offered in Italy. Flooring in stone or terracotta, stone arches, antique furniture and artistic furnishing accessories make the hotel a unique place. The public areas host monthly exhibitions of Contemporary Arts under the ArteInCasa Visual Arts program which make it the perfect place for the Jazzers from Louisville, KY on their 2011 Incantato Italy Performance Tour.
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