Written by Mary Dan Eades on January 11, 2016
Italy awaits! Come enjoy this 13-day Italian musical adventure with SBCS.
Here is the proposed itinerary. Some venues are not yet firm are so indicated with a ? mark:
DAY 1 – IN FLIGHT TO NAPLES
DAY 2 – NAPLES
- Arrive at Naples airport
- Clear Immigration and Customs and meet your courier(s) (those on Full Land/Air package)
- Transfer to the hotel and check in
- Celebrated the world over for its many beauties, Naples lies on the enchanting Bay of Naples, over which rises the cone of Mount Vesuvius. The city is the commercial, cultural and artistic center of Southern Italy.
- Dinner in a restaurant
DAY 3 – NAPLES
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Excursion by coach to Pompeii (entrance and guided tour included) Pompeii, the opulent town which was buried in AD79 in one of the most disastrous volcanic eruptions in history, provides important evidence of the ancient way of life. The extensive and varied ruins of the dead city movingly evoke on a grand scale a Roman city at the time of the Empire.
- Lunch independent
- At leisure
- Dinner independent
DAY 4 – NAPLES
- Breakfast in the hotel
- At leisure
- Lunch independent
- Rehearsal
- Concert (with orchestra in the Chiesa Santa Chiara (?) or similar location)
- Dinner independent
DAY 5 – NAPLES TRANSFER TO ROME
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Depart by coach for Rome (c. 3 hrs)
- Lunch independent en route
- Arrive in Rome and check in to the hotel
- Sometimes called the “Eternal City” Rome is rich in relics of its past. The grandeur of the Coliseum and the Vatican City give an idea of the unforgettable majesty and charm offered by only a small part of this historical capital. Renaissance palaces and piazzas, baroque fountains and ancient courtyards, surround Piazza Navona, Rome’s most stylish square.
- Dinner in a restaurant
DAY 6 – ROME
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Guided sightseeing tour of Ancient Rome, including entrance to the Roman Forum and Coliseum
- Lunch independent
- At leisure
- Dinner independent
DAY 7 – ROME
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Entrance to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
- Lunch independent
- Rehearsal
- Concert (with keyboard in the Chiesa San Marcello al Corso (?) or similar venue
- Dinner independent
DAY 8 – ROME TRANSFER TO FLORENCE
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Depart by coach for Florence (c. 3.5 hours)
- Lunch independent en route
- Arrive in Florence and check in to the hotel
- Florence gathers within its boundaries every form of beauty. Countless stupendous buildings, immortal sculptures and paintings bear witness to the city’s immense importance in the history of Italian art. It has been called “the largest open air museum in the world”
- Dinner in a restaurant
DAY 9 – FLORENCE
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Guided sightseeing tour, which will include such famous sights as the Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo, the Medici Chapels and the Ponte Vecchio
- Lunch independent
- Transfer by coach to Pisa (?) or possibly Luca (?)
- Rehearsal
- Concert (with keyboard in the Chiesa San Nicola (?) or similar venue
- Dinner independent
- Return by coach to Florence
DAY 10 – FLORENCE
- Breakfast in the hotel
- At leisure
- Lunch independent
- Rehearsal
- Concert (with orchestra in the Chiesa San Stefano (?) or similar venue
- Dinner independent
DAY 11 – FLORENCE TRANSFER TO LECCO
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Depart by coach for Lecco (c. 4.5 hrs), stopping en route in Milan
- The heart of the city is found around the Piazza del Duomo, which has many narrow and attractive old streets, boasting art treasures and palatial buildings. Milan prides itself in being able to integrate the old architecture with the new and has expanded greatly as an industrial center, now being recognized as the first in economic importance in Italy
- Lunch independent
- Guided sightseeing tour, during which you will see the Cathedral, Piazza della Scala and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele – Milan’s exclusive shopping arcade Continue by coach to Lecco and check in to the hotel
- A thriving resort town on the banks of Lake Como, Lecco is filled during the summer months with Italian families on vacation, and is the focus for several weeks of cultural festivities
- Dinner independent
DAY 12 – LECCO
- Breakfast in the hotel
- At leisure
- Lunch independent
- Rehearsal
- Concert (with keyboard in the Basilica San Nicolo?)
- Farewell dinner in a restaurant
DAY 13 – LECCO TRANSFER TO MILAN AND FLIGHT HOME
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Transfer by coach to Milan airport and check in
- Depart on flight(s) to Los Angeles
- Arrive at Los Angeles airport
FULL TOUR PACKAGE (including R/T air from LAX* or SFO*) is priced at $4875 (members) and $4995 (non members) Payment plans available.
LAND ONLY PACKAGE (arrange your own air transport) is priced at $3250 (members) $3370 (non-members). Payment plans available.
*Travel to and from other gateway cities can be arranged, but pricing will vary.
Please contact info@sbchoral.org to find out more or to register for this exciting adventure and be a part of the memories we’ll make performing Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna and other beautiful works in these glorious venues!
American baritone, Ralph Cato has travelled the world extensively, telling stories in song with his warm, clarion baritone voice.
Tenor, Benjamin Brecher has performed over fifty operatic roles with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, specializing in the high lying lyric tenor repertoire. He has performed 16 roles with New York City Opera alone. Career highlights include performances with Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera de Nice, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, L’Opera de Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among many others. His orchestral solo repertoire includes Mozart, Handel, Orff, Bach, Haydn, as well as many performances of Britten. In 2000 he began performing the great Irish Tenor songs in a concert produced for him entitled A Celtic Celebration, Twenty years later, the show has become a North American hit with performances with 45 Symphonies in North America. Ben continues his discography having added his twelfth recording in 2016 Forgotten Liszt, with pianist Robert Koenig, and will record a new release in 2022 entitled “Three Centuries of Thomas Moore” including the music of Britten, Berlioz, and Sarah Gibson on MSR Classics. He is a Professor of Voice at University of California Santa Barbara, where he has served as the Head of Voice.
Tracy Van Fleet is pleased to return to the Santa Barbara Choral Society. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lüneburg Symphony in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, Pasadena Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic, USC Symphony and Chorus, and others. She has had many appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Opera Pacific, San Diego Opera and Opera Colorado.
Born and raised in Southern California, April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater.