Coming home

   This trip has felt both long and brief at the same time.  All the experiences I had in Italy contribute to who I am as a person and as a singer. I love Italy, and particularly Sansepolcro so very much. Dr. Williams worked to provide us with an spectacular experience. It was not always easy, but it was a good experience. I spent a little over three weeks with some amazing people. I had voice lessons with Stella and Dr. Price. I sang a lot and I ate incredible food. I will miss my 1.10 euro cappuccino and my 1 euro delicious pastry. The bakery called Chieli will always be my favorite. Thus far, this role in Le Nozze di Figaro has been my biggest operatic experience and I hope not my last. I learned so much and at the end of the day really enjoyed my character. I will miss the lovely language, the beautiful buildings, and the pace of life. It was fantastic to be able to make music in Tuscany this summer. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I look foreword to the upcoming school year and hope to utilize what I have learned this summer.

The Sansepolcro performance

     We performed in a lovely location for our Sansepolcro performance. There is a stage located outside in a courtyard of a place that was renovated to be a home for disabled children, but lies empty. It is behind the Santa Marta Church. Even though we were outside, the acoustics were good. We were to begin at 9 pm  but it was a little later. which is normal for Italian productions. The orchestra played wonderfully. There was quite a difference in the musicians from Friday night. The stage was quite noisy and I had a tenancy to make it sound lie I was stomping off stage. It was intentional, but I think it may have been a bit much. There were strong lights to illuminate the stage, so I could not see the audience, but I could make out the conductor. There seemed to be something in the air, we all felt it was very dry. We all ended up drinking a lot of water. We performed and did our best to ham-up the really funny parts. Even though people made mistakes the show was well received and everything seemed to flow together. I cannot believe it; we did it. It was a lot of work for a lot of people for us to put on a four act opera, but we did it. We learned a lot from the experience and it was fun.

The Monterchi performance

     We arrived in Monterchi an the skies were darkened; it had just rained. There was great concern that the weather would not hold for this three hour show. Dr. Williams and her husband arrived early and with the help of some other people worked out an alternative location. Meagan, who is a part of the Tuscan Art and folk song class, presented information about Pierro's Madonna del Parto before we headed to a public theater in town that would serve as our venue for the evening. The space was dry, but it had a stage with two possible entrances to the stage. Backstage was packed with things and smelled of cat urine. I may have moved around a bit too much, but one of my favorite things to sing in the opera was the duet I got to sing with Susanna. I had fun with Stella when we did this number. The sextet was fun, even though some things went a little wonkie. We were all very hot and the space was interesting, but despite the challenges we faced, we went out and did a four act opera and had a lot of fun doing it. I loved singing with Stella Peruzzi, Andrea Sari, Dr.'s Neal and Price. We just had fun in parts of it. We were nervous and people made mistakes, but we worked to put on a good show. We were flexible and I learned a lot from the experience.

Lorenzi

     I had intended to interview someone else for an assignment that we were given on this trip, but an opportunity presented itself and I took it. Mrs. Labelle and I were taking a walk one morning and some jewelry caught her eye, so we went in the shop to take a closer look. After the conversation that we had with the shop owner, I only had to go back and as her a couple more questions. Her English was pretty good. This shop, Lorenzi,  is located on the main street in Sansepolcro. It is across the street from the K café. She sells pieces by craftsman mostly from Tuscany. She has one child, a son, who attends university in Florence. This shop was opened by her grandfather in 1924, and it was originally an antique shop. After the shop owners parents passed way, the shop lay empty for a while. She sold the items left in the shop. She could not bare to sell the place because it was a part of her roots. Back then she was needed by her husband and her son, who was small at the time, so the shop lay in wait until he son grew and she got the idea to sell jewelry, which is a passion of hers. After some time had passed, she opened the place back up. She loves to work at her shop and her wares are beautiful, although very expensive. She, also loves music and very excited about our presence in Sansepolcro to make music. She said that she sings around the house all the time, and her son wrote to her when he went away to school and told her that he missed that so much. She says that she does not have a nice voice, but loves to sing. Her son, she told me, has a beautiful voice, but has had no interest in pursuing music since he was in his adolescence. She is a kind women, who had the pleasure of doing something she loves.

Monterchi

     After a couple days of rehearsals with the orchestra, the principles of the opera piled into one rental car and a taxi to view the Monterchi venue the night before. The opera was to take place on a little stage outside the museum of the Madonna del Parto by Pierro della Francesca. The views from this city, which is on a mountain, are amazing. We were surrounded by fields of sunflowers, tobacco, wheat, and beautiful old buildings. The colors were amazing, and temperature was perfect. The stage itself was a bit rickety, but we walked through each number and we made it work. There was a landing and stairs that a person could descend on the right and left sides. The stairs were going to be lined with candles tomorrow night. I sure it will e lovely, but I hope our dresses do not get to close to the flames. The energy of the cast was high and we were all pretty silly. My favorite part was when the count asked for forgiveness the countess rolled her eyes and walked off stage. At the end, we sang through the finale and added a can-can dance and did the do-si-do. The weather in Italy has been a bit strange. There has been quite a bit of rain in Tuscany. There are some concerns about the performance tomorrow being rained on, but we have hope that the weather will hold. Notice I said rained on and not out, because we are set to sing no matter what happens.

The final week

     The final week of our trip will be cram packed with events. There will be two performances of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Some of the principle roles were double cast, such as the roles of Susanna and the Countess. I am fortunate enough to be able to be in both productions as Marcellina. Our first rehearsal with Paolo Belloli, conductor, went well. Dr, Lyman played the piano and Paolo gave instructions to all in areas that needed adjustment. He was commanding, funny, and a pleasure to work with. We took a break after each act. Even though the conductor did not speak English very well, he was able to give helpful, precise instructions after, and at times, during each number. It is an amazing pleasure to be able to work with Stella Peruzzi and Andrea Sari, who are Italian opera singers. After about a five hour rehearsal, we all gathered to have dinner at a restaurant called Carobabbo, which is located in the middle of a sunflower field. The ambiance was exquisite. We sat at a long table outside that was under a pergola. There was good conversation, laughter, and pretty good pizza. Tomorrow, we will rehearse with the orchestra. We have exactly two rehearsals with the orchestra before the performance.

A day...

     I love getting up to walk around this ancient city as it wakes. Following breakfast, we attended an Italian language class. Then, we had a master class with an Italian opera singer and voice teacher. This was followed by a delicious lunch that was served at the Servi. We had a few hours of time to warm-up, or practice, or rest before rehearsal for the opera was to begin. This rehearsal served as the conclusion of our scheduled daily events. This will be our schedule, for the most part, for the remainder of the trip. The opera is really coming together, and I cannot wait to perform it next Friday and Sunday. The show has been well advertised. I guess we are a part of the Tiber festival, and we saw our shows in a schedule in a British/Italian magazine today. There are also brochures laying about different cafes that advertise the schedule of the festival and out names were listed in it. It was really neat. Tomorrow will be the first rehearsal with the conductor that we will use for the performances. We will be rehearsing everyday this week and performing on Friday and Sunday. I am nervous and excited. I hope we get a few laughs. As our performances approach, I am faced with the realization that our time here will come to an end very soon. It has been an incredible blessing to be able to come to sing in Italy again. I am loving the pace of life and the vibrant nature of the people.

Florence

    

Florence was exquisite as usual. We spent 12 hours walking around this richly historical city, overloading our senses with the most wonderful works of art. Everywhere you look there is something to see. Several of us went to the Uffizi museo. It was amazing to see Botticelli's "Birth o Venus" and "Primavera" in person. We also saw a Piero della Francesco that I have seen on many book covers. We have lunch at a really neat little cafe. We saw horse drawn carriages pass by frequently. The conversation was lovely and we went for coffee and gelato afterwards. A friend of one of the ladies in our program makes jewelry out of one dollar bills and it happened to be on display at the very same time we were visiting Florence. So a few of us went to a museum of modern art it see it. It was very interesting, for each piece of jewelry was intricately crafted. It was really beautiful and not at all what I expected.  We did a little shopping at a few stores including Zari. Then we sat in a cafe with Dr. Williams and hydrated ourselves. Then a few of us ventured the famous leather market just before it closed. During the course of the day, I heard music, looked at many pieces of art, ate wonderful Italian food, consumed two cappuccinos  and spent the day with wonderful people. Florence can be very crowded and it was nice to go to for a day, but there is no place like Sansepolcro.

Tuesday

     We spent the afternoon and evening in the wonderful city of Arezzo. We were given a splendid brief tour of the city by a voice professor from East Carolina University who works the Oberlin summer opera program in Arezzo. This would be my second time to visit this city, and there is one building on this tour that has always peaked my curiosity. It is very old and has many crests on the exterior of the past rulers of this city. This building was once the palace of the Medici family. Today, it is the library. For a year, I have built up this image of rows and rows of old leather bound books, dimly lit spaces, and hoards of antique furniture. A couple of us went up the stairs of the first entrance. We peered in and it was the children's section, very modern selves, colorful rugs, and books wrapped in plastic. We quickly descended the stairs and went to the second entrance. After exploring the different levels, we discovered a charming study area with gold antique reading lamps and beautiful dark wood that begged a person to sink down and travel down a new road of knowledge. It may not have been the image I had painted in my head, but it thoroughly satisfied my curiosity and increased my admiration of the building itself. Following an exquisite dinner, we went to go watch the final performance of some opera scenes that Oberlin was performing. It was a wonderful day spent in a lovely city with amazing people.


                                                                     

The Library

  

Perugia

     On Sunday, Perugia was our destination. we took a bus and then a monorail to the city. An older version of this city exists beneath the one that stands today. They build over it to achieve a better view. The National Art Gallery of Umberia is located here. This museum houses the polyptych of Perugia by none other than Piero della Francesca. I had the privilege of doing a presentation on this particular work of art for the group. This is such a wonderful city. It is rich in music, wonderful architecture, and vibrancy. We had a wonderful dinner and excellent gelato. This is one of my favorite city's that we visit on these excursions. There is music to be heard everywhere. The Umbria Jazz festival takes place here every year and some of us were going to see Keith Jarrett Trio in concert that evening. After briefly getting lost, I ended up shopping with Sarah for a few minutes before we went to the concert. I met an English jazz musician that was studying at a program hosted in this city who helped me find my way to the concert location. After I reacquainted myself with the group, we sat to watch and listen with great anticipation. Keith Jarrett is the pianist and there is a bass player and a person on drums. The concert was interesting. People stood and clapped when Keith Jarrett walked out and he did not care for it so he walked back off. There was a few announcements, which included one by Keith Jarrett, who demanded that the stage lights be turned off. The lights stayed off for the entire first half of the concert. It was during the second half of the concert that blue lights came on. Despite the interesting stage performance, the trio really made some nice music and it is an experience that I will not forget.


                                                                                 

Music of the people...

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw4IPZOWpfQ&feature=youtu.be

 

 

      The festival last night was a lovely experience. There was music, street performers, and food. Our group dinned together and enjoyed the lovely weather. The tables were similar to picnic tables and we sat at benches made of wood and metal. The tables were lined up from one end of town to the other. The waiters were gracious and were patient as most of us attempted to utilize our meager Italian vocabularies. It may not have been the very best meal we have eaten here, but the experience was once in a lifetime. We spent time with one another and enjoyed the vibrant flavor of the local culture. The streets were roaring with sound until the wee hours of the morning. Despite the lack of sleep, I feel incredibly blessed to be here. This morning I dinned with a wonderful lady at an excellent café for an unbelievable price. We had heavenly pastries and the most excellent cappuccino for less than 3 euro. I arrived back at the palazzo to hear a man playing an accordion on the street. I grabbed my bag and my recorder and taped his song for a bit. I spoke with him for a few moments. He was very poor, but loved music and played passionately. I am taking a class on Tuscan Art and Folk songs while I am here. What better material to study for this subject than something you hear in the everyday life? So, I posted the recording on youtube and you can listen to the music of the people for a bit. Later today, we will have blocking rehearsal for the opera and perhaps I will conclude the day with a bit of exploration.

                                                                                 a domani
                                                                                        Jessica Samples

Morning began...

     Morning began with cacophony of sound. Hoards of small black birds vociferously circled the sky as the sun rose. Below my window shopkeepers opened their doors, people slowly emerged out on to the smooth, gray, stoned street. Their laughter and passionate conversations wafted through my room. There is not a cloud in the sky and the day promises great possibilities. This is the day of the festival and we are to take a tour of the museum in Sansepolcro as we begin our study of the works of renaissance artist Piero della Francesca. There will also be music rehearsals, zumba, and a master class for the musical theater participants with an exquisite professor that specializes in musical theater who is from Germany, Michael Dixon. Yesterday had a magnificent conclusion. The Italian opera singer, who will be playing the count in our productions of Le Nozze di Figaro,  joined us for the first time. There was a moment when he sang in the finale of act IV, the part where he asks for forgiveness from the countess, that was so touching. It seemed to ignite new inspiration for some of us. A bit later, we went out to dinner at a lovely little restaurant inside the city. We had wonderful conversation and a delicious meal.  I believe we succeeded in doing as the Italians do; we sat with one another and enjoyed each other.

                                                                                 a domani
                                                                                      
                                                                                  

The arrival:

It is finally July and the North Carolina Young Artist Project has made the journey over to Italy. Following an overnight plane ride, we quickly passed through customs and loaded onto a bus that took us to Sansepolcro, Toscana Italia. We pulled up to a gateway of a city that has withstood a thousand and one years. The bus cannot drive into the city, for the streets are too narrow. We unloaded our luggage and pulled it down center street to the Palazzo. Rich, warm colors surround us as walked and every door seemed to have it's own personality. They are heavy, and, at times, ornate. Everywhere you look, you can see something beautiful and full of history. This place inspires the mind to wonder about the people that came before. If the walls could speak, what stories would they tell? Once we were unpacked, we had a meal and a tour of the city. The people of Italy are so vibrant, and the language is gorgeous. At home, most times I feel as though I am inconstant motion, striving for the next thing I must do and never having enough hours in a day. Here, the pace of life is different. People are to be savored. They work hard, but they enjoy life; they enjoy each other. We begin rehearsals for the opera tomorrow, and I cannot wait. I will be working with some lovely artists. In the country of opera's origin,  I feel incredibly blessed to be able to learn, work, and sing in this place. I feel so at home here. On Friday, the city will celebrate the thousand and one year of existence with a festival.
 
                                                                                           a domain,
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                 Jessica Samples