In June 2024, 56 students, faculty and staff, parents, grandparents, and one SHA alumna traveled to Italy for ten days of touring and singing. The choir, consisting of 25 SHA students and led by the amazing Jill Schurman, sang in the Festival Corale Internazionale Di Roma at the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. SHA was among five US choirs chosen to participate, comprising three high school and two adult choirs. The SHA Choir also sang at Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica with all five choirs who participated in the music festival. At the festival’s final concert, SHA junior Alice Calabrese auditioned for festival director Z. Randall Stroope and was selected among all participants, including adult professional singers, to sing a solo performance.
The trip encompassed visits to Rome, Montecantie, Pisa, Florence, Venice and Verona.
They visited Imperial Rome, including the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, and Religious Rome, including Vatican City, Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel. The choir sang an impromptu version of “Soli Deo Gloria” at the Marian tower in the city square to honor the Ursuline Sisters. Another highlight was throwing a coin (to make a wish!) in the Trevi Fountain and walking the Spanish Steps.
In Pisa, the group toured the Piazza del Duomo or Campo dei Miracoli, with the cathedral, the Leaning Tower, the Baptistery, and the Campo Santo.
In Florence, they visited the Duomo and the Academy of Fine Arts to see Michelangelo’s David. They also enjoyed a cooking class, making their own pizza for dinner!
They then traveled to Venice and took a walking tour that included St. Mark’s Square, the Basilica of St. Mark, and the Doge’s Palace. Some travelers took a gondola ride!
Finally, in Verona, they saw a Roman Arena, an amphitheatre that is among the largest in the Roman world and still hosts a prominent music festival, along with visiting Juliet’s House (of Romeo and Juliet fame) with its famous balcony in the inner courtyard.
As just one of three international trips taken by SHA students, faculty, and staff this summer, these students increased their global mindset and made memories to last a lifetime.
