“Buona sera!
Mi chiamo Rebecca Hohag.
As a junior at Gustavus, this Gustavus Choir trip is my first time abroad. Needless to say, I am soaking up every possible opportunity in Italia! This “soaking up” includes sharing the music we love, sharing good food together, and challenging myself to step outside (or rather, speak outside) of my comfort zone.
Earlier today, we careened and leaned together in a bus along the breath-taking Amalfi Coast. After stops in the old, picturesque cliff-side towns of Positano and Amalfi to shop, and eat, we headed north back to Sorrento, to recuperate before a concert at the Cathedrale of Saint Filippo e Giacomo in Sorrento.
The singing flowed marvelously around the marbled Cathedrale. An overflowing and varied audience received our songs—created and put together in a one-time only kind of way that perhaps only musicians and artists can comprehend. The acoustics complimented us well—from our classic pieces all the way through our “Job-like patience,” as Dr. A calls it, to the closing modern pieces.
We were blessed with a cozily-packed house, many a “bravissimo,” and Dr. A was asked for his John Hancock — a first in his career! Choir members were also asked to sign programs and some excited fans had their photos taken with a portion of the choir.
Outside the church after the phenomenal performance, a handful of bass and tenor members sang “Kiss the Girl” and birthday wishes were sung by all to a choir member (one of several birthdays on the trip), which added to the night’s warm fuzzy feelings.
Many of the Gustavus folk gathered at a local pizzaria and happily anticipated the first “assaggio” or taste of the “best pizza in Sorrento.” I noticed two ladies chatting over this evening’s concert program and struck up a conversation with them.
As I plodded my way through Italian, they patiently and emphatically told me that their favorite pieces we sang tonight were our Latin and Italian pieces. One woman even commented that she is from Assisi, our destination tomorrow (leaving bright and early). Fun coincidence there! (I left feeling even more encouraged and happy -– amazing how human interaction works like that!)
Allora.
Exchanging wishes of health and gratitude, we connected over the idea that a choir is very much a reflection of the audience it sings to, as much as it is a creation of the beloved director and members.
The quirky individuals in every row of the church pews evoke beautiful (and inexplicable) nuances from the choir. I am grateful for this complexity–be it the old man and his camera walking decisively up to snap one in the middle of a piece (making us all grin) or be it the teary-eyed companions, clapping us on.
In the words of St. Francis of Assisi, the gift being given by the choir is surely simultaneously receiving the reactions and emotions of the audience. As we give our voices, we see and take in the smiles, tears, wrinkled and twinkled eyes. May we live to witness many reflections and expressions of love and hope on this choir tour and onward.”
Today’s itinerary included glorious sight-seeing of the cliff-lined coastal towns south of Sorrento.”
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