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Reflections on the last day at the Vatican

By Molly Freedenberg

Saturday was an emotional day for the Mater Dei High School Chorus, as they bade farewell to their Incantato Tour with several powerful experiences at the Vatican.

First, the choir sang at High Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Because April 2 was the anniversary of the passing of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican held High Mass in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, a rare occasion in itself and an even rarer venue for touring choirs. The presiding cardinals gave special thanks to the choir (who they charmingly said were from "Orange Country"), who performed two songs during mass and another as the cardinals exited the building, the last of which was met with rousing applause from the otherwise reverent crowd.

The entire group was then given a private tour of the Vatican Museum’s ancient statues, awe-inspiring tapestries, famous maps, and beautiful religious objects, culminating in a private concert in the Sistine Chapel.

The concert began with the Chamber Singers in a circle, their voices resonating off the ancient walls of the chapel. Next came all the female singers, followed by the full choir in rows at the back of the room. By the time the last note drifted up towards Michelangelo’s frescoes, few eyes were dry. Director Scott Melvin put his hand to his heart, thanking the students quietly with tears in his eyes. Parents cried and hugged their kids. Kids hugged each other. “That was pretty incredible,” one parent said. “I looked up at the Creation and just burst into tears,” said another.

“I felt like my abuelita was there,” said Allie G., a senior in the Advanced Women’s Ensemble whose grandmother died four days before the Sistine Chapel performance. “I definitely cried.”

It was a beautiful end to a beautiful tour, and the students took pictures of each other and exchanged exclamations of “I’m so glad I met you!” as they walked to their farewell dinner at Sico Moro a few blocks away, preparing to board their planes home the next day.

One of many magical moments on the Mater Dei Tour

One of our favorite moments on the Mater Dei High School Italy Tour. After arriving in Todi, a few of the Mater Dei High School students made friends with locals who owned a guitar shop and just minutes later this impromptu gig took place. I had tears in my eyes!! Thanks for all Mater Dei Performing Arts and especially the Choral Department, it was an amazing journey and we appreciate the opportunity to work with and for your amazing organization.

Homeward bound - Mater Dei High School Chorus is returning to Santa Ana after singing in the Sistine Chapel

Time surely flies when you are having fun. The 140+ singers, handbell ringers and members of the Visual Arts Departments from Mater Dei High School sure kept busy while touring Italy these past 11 days and what better way to end their 2011 Performance Tour and Pilgrimage with Incantato, then by participating in a special mass at St. Peter's Basilica in honor of the late Pope John Paul II followed by a private visit of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
You should have seen the look on the students and parents faces when the choirs from Santa Ana, California presented an exclusive recital surrounded by Michelangelo's master work. This was truly the highlight of the journey and a very emotional moment for many performers and also their audience. Many cried tears of happiness after hearing the beautiful sound of their voices echo in the Sistine Chapel.
After a farewell with Roman specialities and the opportunity to bid farewell to the Vatican and Rome by night, the travelers are now homeward bound on various airlines and all of us at Incantato say Grazie mille and Arriverderci.

Mater Dei HS Chamber Choir sings Mass at St. Peter's Basilica honoring the late Pope John Paul II on April 2 at 5 pm

Being the featured guest choir for Mass at St. Peter's Basilica once is already a life-changing experience for most singers, especially Catholics. After today, about 40 of the Mater Dei High School Chorus members, the Chamber Choir to be precise, will be able to say they sang twice at the magnificent cathedral in Vatican City. The girls and boys under the direction of Mr. Scott Melvin will be singing in honor of the late Pope John Paul II on Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 5 pm at the beautiful Chapel of the Santissimo within St. Peter's Basilica. Together with members of the other four choirs, the students from Santa Ana, California already sang the day before at the main Altar of the Cathedral as the featured guest choir for Mass as part of their 2011 Incantato Italy Performance Tour and Pilgrimage. And if those weren't already enough special moments on this journey that is about to come to an end as the group returns home on April 3, there is another and very exclusive highlight scheduled still: a private recital in the Sistine Chapel.  

Here are some pictures from April 1 at the Vatican

Mater Dei HS Chorus presents Haydn's Paukenmesse in Rome

"I know how special this is" - A live report from the Mater Dei HS Chorus concert in Todi

By Molly Freedenberg
After a week of performing in beautiful churches and cathedrals, the Mater Dei HS Chorus had the experience of performing in a beautiful secular venue on Thursday night in the Umbrian hill town Todi as part of their 2011 Incantato Tour. The singers under the direction of Scott Melvin performed at the charming Teatro Communale, a 19th-century public theater with a sloped stage, red velvet seats, four tiers of tapestry-accented theater boxes, and a gorgeous ceiling featuring a glittering chandelier and frescoes of cupids dedicated to famous philosophers like Machiavelli, Aristotle, and Socrates.
The special venue meant that the students could experience how to adjust their voices for different acoustics, since theater acoustics tend to be more dry than a church's live, resonant sound. And because the theater had access to a piano (unlike many Italian churches, who forego pianos for organs or other instruments because cold weather makes pianos expensive and time-consuming to maintain), the students also were able to include songs with piano accompaniment, much to their (and pianist Kent Helwig's) delight.

Though gorgeous, the Teatro Communale stage was small for a group of 140, but Scott Melvin made magic with his carefully planned "human tetris," beginning with the hand bell choir entering the theater from the back and playing several pieces at the front of the stage, followed by a rotating combination of singers (just girls, just boys, just Chamber Choir) positioning themselves at different parts of the stage, and concluding with singers surrounding the audience and filling the aisles for an inspired concert-in-the-round experience. Highlights of the night's program included a lively, unusual African piece performed by the men that had even the two grey-habited nuns in the audience bobbing their heads; the Chamber Singers' rendition of "Battle of Jericho," including a gorgeous soprano solo; and "Set me as a Seal" hich director Scott dedicated to his "dear sweet wife and little girls," who watched the show lovingly from a theater box on the second floor. Another show-stopper for audience and performers was the finale, "My God is a Rock," which Kirina S. says always "feels very communal."
The small but appreciative crowd gave the performers a standing ovation, and many of the parents on the tour presented their children with roses and chocolates they'd purchased earlier in town. All were smiling as they took pictures in the gorgeous theater before packing up the buses and heading towards dinner, sleep, and another exciting day on Italy tour that started on March 24. But many of the parents' smiles were bittersweet.
"Kirina is graduating this year," said Chamber singer's mom Karen. When speaking about getting to spend this time touring Italy with her daughter and sharing the choir experience, she teared up. "I know how special this is."

Student Impressions of the Mater Dei 2011 Italy Performance Tour - Josh Paz

"This trip has been an eye opening experience! From singing to the Pope, to traveling and sightseeing historical places like Pompeii, the choir has been on a nonstop journey through Italy. People are meeting new friends and having to experience new things, like Italian food. Although it might not be liked by some people, it is wonderful to get to know the different culture that is around the world. Our tour managers have also been amazing and informative, each of them giving a little bit of their personality to the tour and making it interesting as we travel through Italy. We definitely miss our families and friends a lot, and we look forward to seeing them all again and telling the memorable experiences in Italy!!!"
Josh Paz

Student Impressions of the Mater Dei 2011 Italy Performance Tour - Keith Morton

"Currently we're on a bus on our way to Todi with too many iPods playing at the same time and people trying to see who can sing the loudest. Obviously the sleep last night helped with the energy (not that there was a problem there anyway). Today I'm just happy that we're not doing a lot of walking (or stairs). As beautiful as Rome is I'm perfectly content with sitting on a bus instead of hitting the town."
Keith Morton

More pictures added to the Mater Dei HS Chorus Tour Photo Album

It is now updated with pictures from the Theater Concert in Todi - Enjoy!

Incantato Video: Mater Dei High School Chorus sings for the Pope

Mater Dei High School Chorus rehearses at Todi Theater

More pictures from the Papal Audience on St. Peter's Square

Pope-Spotting at St. Peter's Square

Papal Audience Panoramas

Yes, Mom, we are here too - Debbie Melvin

Recording from the Mater Dei HS Chorus Paukenmesse Concert in Amalfi now on Youtube

Mater Dei HS Italy Tour Slideshow is updated

Great Tour Pictures from Mr. Tom Walker

http://spectron.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=16391981&AlbumKey=yJ8V5