Choir experiences incredible Italy tour

After months of careful planning by the music department, the members of the school’s choirs embarked on an ambitious tour in Italy this past summer, from July 5 to 18. Over the course of two weeks, 65 students traveled from Rome to Siena and performed at various locations on the way. 

Jim Yowell, the choirmaster and main organizer of this tour, understands how difficult it is to plan a tour of such a big scale. 

“I had been in contact with many of the cathedrals more than a year in advance because they wanted to know what literature we would be performing,” Yowell said. “They were so impressed that some cathedrals wanted us to sing for a full mass.”

Although the planning process was long and tedious, Yowell said the trip was the most memorable he has ever experienced in his career as a music instructor.

“My fondest memories of the trip were seeing the expressions on the singers’ faces when they entered the magnificent cathedrals for the first time,” said Yowell. “They looked back at me and said, ‘Are we really going to sing here!’” 

Junior Kristy Lin agrees, saying that her experience in Italy far exceeded her expectations.

“It was a huge honor to be able to sing in St. Peter’s Basilica,” Lin said. “A lot of people came to our performances—many even gave us standing ovations.”

Choir members got the opportunity to sing at some of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world, performing in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, The Cathedral of Orvieto, the Duomo in Florence, Santa Maria di Provenzano in Siena, and many more.

Between performances, the choir also participated in typical tourist activities, such as visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa and seeing the statue of David. In the midst of the tour’s hectic schedule, students also experienced eye-opening occurrences.

“There was an incident when Mrs. [Janet] Verson got her wallet stolen by a gypsy,” Lin said. “Mr. Yowell went back and wrestled the gypsy and got the wallet back. After that, we called him Super Yowell.”

For senior Caleb Liu, the Italy trip was an opportunity to get closer to more people in the choir. During the two weeks he spent in Italy, he bonded with many of his fellow choir mates.

“I met a lot of new people which I’ve gotten really close to, but it's sad because they were seniors and had already graduated,” Liu said. “I’m going to miss them a lot.”

Although Liu had never really taken any interest in history before, his experience “visiting all the museums and landmarks” began to pique his interest in the subject. 

“Overall, I’m really happy I went [on the trip],” Liu said. “It was the fastest two weeks I've ever experienced.”

From the beginning to end, the students were engulfed in a whirlwind of fond memories and Italian culture. Junior Janey Heyman will never forget the days she spent traveling with the choir.

“The entire experience was really truly amazing and I think it really tightened the bonds of our choir,” Heyman said. “We are a much closer family because of it.”