Second Annual The Great American Choral Series in Auditorium di Santo Stefano al Ponte Florence (Firenze), Italy

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1 Peter Tiboris, General Music Director and Artistic Director P R E S E N T S Secondo Festival Annuale dei Grandi Cori Americani Città di Firenze Second Annual The Great American Choral Series in Auditorium di Santo Stefano al Ponte Florence (Firenze), Italy Friday, June 3 Sunday, June 12, Days / 9 Nights Open To All Choirs Who Are Interested in Great Works in A Great Place Who is famous from Florence/Firenze? Sculpturist Benvenuto Cellini, Dante. Sculpturist Donatello, Florence Nightingale, Director Franco Zeffirelli, Gucci the designer, Leonardo da Vinci, Luigi Cherubini, Niccolo Machiavelli and Roberto Cavalli. Firenze- Breathless Beauty MidAm International, Inc. 132 West 36th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY Tel. (212) Fax (212) Subject to change without notice 1

2 2016 THE GREAT AMERICAN CHORAL SERIES Registration Deadline: June 1, 2015 Featuring these Major Italian Choral Works Rossini's STABAT MATER Puccini's "GLORIA" from MESSA DI GLORIA Verdi's STABAT MATER & AVE MARIA Vivaldi's GLORIA and special performances of Christopher Tin's " The Drop That Contained the Sea conducted by Sue Fink (European Premiere) Robert Cohen's Alzheimer s Stories (Italian Premiere) Conducted by William Payn (Susquehanna Valley Chorale) Dan Forrest's Requiem for the Living conducted by the composer, Dan Forrest (European Premiere) Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina Giuseppe Lanzetta, Founder and Music Director Peter Tiboris, Principal Guest Conductor (Direttore Ospite Principale) & World Class Soloists Auditorium di Santo Stefano al Ponte, Firenze Subject to change without notice 2

3 2016 THE GREAT AMERICAN CHORAL SERIES: Itinerary (As of 3/17/2015) Day 1 Friday, June 3, 2016 Arrive in Firenze. MidAm International, Inc. staff and Custom Travel of Firenze staff will meet you at the airport and transfer you to Adriatico Hotel ( or Rivoli Hotel ( or Adler Hotel ( or Baglioni Hotel ( for check in. These are the four residency hotels located in central Firenze. (A decision as to which hotel you will be assigned to will be made by February 1, 2016.) 7:00 PM-8:00 PM: Organizational meeting at hotel with MidAm and Custom Travel of Firenze staff Remainder of evening free to stroll central Firenze and dine. Day 2 Saturday, June 4, 2016 Breakfast 9:30 AM-12:30 PM: Rehearsal with piano at the residency hotel. 12:30 PM: Lunch on-your-own. 2:30PM-5:30PM: First Tour: Duomo Complex, House of Dante, Piazza Signoria, and Church of Santa Croce; Entrance fee, bus, professional guide, personal broadcast microphones, and hearing devices are all included. Tour Description: Duomo Complex House of Dante - Piazza Signoria Church of Santa Croce A short walk from the hotel and you will find yourselves in Piazza del Duomo, Florence s religious heart. Here stands the Duomo ( Cathedral ) and its imperious Brunelleschi s dome, one of the city s great symbols, flanked by its freestanding Giotto s campanile or bell-tower. In the Cathedral s shadow stands the Baptistery, Florence s oldest religious building, a place of spiritual and artistic importance for well over a thousand years. Some of the many works of art produced for these buildings over the years have been removed for safekeeping to the square fourth major component Museo dell Opera del Duomo, a museum tucked away behind the cathedral. Walking south from Piazza del Duomo along the pedestrian area, just between Piazze del Duomo and Piazza Signoria, a labyrinth of narrow streets lead to House of Dante. Built to commemorate the 6th centennial of his birth, it stands in the middle-age area surrounded by the buildings that were familiar to him: the tiny Dante s church built in 1000 where, according to the tradition, Dante met Beatrice his muse ; Church La Badia Fiorentina, the oldest Monastery in town built in 978; and il Bargello, a palace built in 1255, as the seat of the Podestà, the city s main magistrate. Later it became a law-court, prison, torture chamber, and is nowadays one of the most important Renaissance sculpture museums in Italy. Where Piazza del Duomo serves as Florence s religious heart, the city s second great square, Piazza della Signoria has long been its civic focus. It is home to Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of city government for seven centuries, and plays hosts to several notable pieces of public sculpture. Dominating the square is the fortress-like Palazzo Vecchio, started in 1299, initially housed the Priori or Signoria, the city s ruling council. Loggia della Signoria on the piazza s eastern side was begun in 1376, and is an open-air museum for two major and several minor pieces of sculpture. The Perseus by Cellini (1545 ) and the Rape of the Sabine women by Giambologna intended simply as a study of old age, male strength and female beauty. Subject to change without notice 3

4 Another short walk and you get into the broad square of Santa Croce, Florence s most compelling church, is not only an artistic shrine (frescoes by Giotto, stone-work by Donatello ) but also the burial place of which 270 of the city s most eminent inhabitants, among them Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Rossini. Tour descriptions courtesy of Custom Travel of Firenze, Italy) Piazza Signoria Santa Croce Interior 6:00PM: Return to hotel. Evening free to stroll central Firenze and dine. Day 3 Sunday, June 5, 2016 Breakfast 9:30 AM 12:30 PM: rehearsal in hotel Afternoon and Evening free to explore and stroll central Firenze and dine. Day 4 Monday, June 6, 2016 Breakfast 8:30 AM-noon: Rehearsal in hotel Break for lunch on your own 2PM-7:30PM: Optional Tour to Historic Pisa : to the Leaning Tower, the Duomo, the circular Baptistery, and Santa Maria della Spina. The cost of this tour will be announced by February 1, 2016, and it is not included as part of the package. Piazza Dei Miracoli The Leaning Tower of Pisa 6:00 PM: Return to hotel. Evening free to stroll central Firenze and dine. Subject to change without notice 4

5 Day 5 Tuesday, June 7, 2016 Breakfast 9:30AM-12:30PM: Rehearsal in hotel. Lunch on own. 2:00PM-5:00PM: Second Tour: A guided general tour of Santa Maria Novella Church, Academy of Fine Arts, and Duomo Complex; Entrance fee, bus, professional guide, personal broadcast microphones, and hearing devices are all included. Tour Description: Santa Maria Novella Church Academy of Fine Arts Duomo Complex A short walk from the hotel and you will be at Santa Maria Novella that ranks just behind Santa Croce, Florence s most important Church. The mother church of the city s Dominican order was founded in Both the façade and the interior are outstanding, the latter home to a trio of captivating fresco cycles and one of the most influential paintings of the early Renaissance. The first fresco cycle lies in Cappella Strozzi. Sponsored by the banker Filippo Strozzi (1489), the paintings are by Filippino Lippi and deal with episodes from the life of Strozzi s namesake. The second and most important cycle, a work by Ghiralndaio is ranged around the chancel. Commissioned by a banker Giovanni Tornabuoni, the themes are Life of John the Baptist and Life of the Virgin (1485). Masaccio fresco The Trinity (1427) was one of the Renaissance works in which the new idea of mathematical proportion was successfully employed. From Santa Maria Novella, a walk through the elegant and fashionable shopping area (formerly the banking area during the Renaissance) and you reach the Academy of Fine Arts. Only the Uffizi is more visited than the Galleria dell Accademia, whose crowds are lured by the most famous Renaissance image of them all: Michelangelo s David. Carved from a single piece of thin and fault-riddled marble by Michelangelo at the age of 26 in 1501, the statue remained in Piazza Della Signoria until Its theme of David and Goliath was chosen for its parallels with Florence s recent history, evoking the city s belated liberation and its ability to withstand more powerful foes. Away from David the gallery contains other Michelangelo s works, St Matthew, and four Slaves, all uncompleted and intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II. The Tour will finish at Piazza del Duomo and the great Cathedral. (Tour descriptions courtesy of Custom Travel of Firenze, Italy) Santa Maria Novella Exterior Santa Maria Novella Interior 6:00PM: Return to hotel. Evening free to stroll central Firenze and dine. Subject to change without notice 5

6 Day 6 Wednesday, June 8, 2016 Breakfast Explore Florence on your own/ Shopping 3:30PM-5:30PM: Generale with full orchestra and soloists. 7:30PM: Concert in the Auditorium di Santo Stefano al Ponte Peter Tiboris conducting the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina in Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy, 2013 Subject to change without notice 6

7 Day 7 Thursday, June 9, 2016 Breakfast Morning and afternoon free for shopping, exploring, and leisure or schedule permitting a full day optional tour Siena and San Gimignano The cost of this tour will be announced by February 1, 2016, and it is not included as part of the package. Piazza Del Campo in Siena San Gimignano Day 8 Friday, June 10, 2016 Breakfast 9:00-noon: Third Tour: Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery; Entrance fee, bus, professional guide, personal broadcast microphones, and hearing devices are all included. Tour Description: Ponte Vecchio Uffizi Gallery A short walk along the bank of Arno River and you will be facing Ponte Vecchio, built in With its load of overhanging shops and buildings, it is one of Florence s most familiar images. Over the centuries it has survived countless floods and the havoc of war and civil strife. In World War II it was the only bridge spared during the Nazi retreat from the city. Galleria degli Uffizi holds the world s finest collection of Renaissance paintings. All famous names of Italian art are here, not only the Renaissance masters but also painters from the country s early medieval, Baroque, and mannerist heyday. The building that houses the collection was built in 1560 and spreads across some 80 rooms. Any brief description can only touch on its absolute highlights. The prelude to the collection starts with the medieval Giotto and Cimabue s Maestà, followed by the gothic works of Simone Martini and Gentile da Fabriano who paved the way for the Renaissance with Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, Piero della Francesca, and Filippo Lippi precursor of the sophisticated Botticelli s Primavera and Birth of Venus. Leonardo s mystery will appear in his Annunciazione and the unfinished Adoration of the magi. As you progress and walk through the centuries, you will see not only the painting by Michelangelo, the Tondo Doni, but also Raphael s early work Madonna del Cardellino and the mature portrait of Pope Leo X. Influenced by Rapahael, Titian s Venus of Urbino, one of the most explicit nudes in Western art is also here. Caravaggio s Medusa and Sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac bear the standard in marked contrast and introspective portraits. (Tour descriptions courtesy of Custom Travel of Firenze, Italy) Subject to change without notice 7

8 Uffizi Interior Uffizi Exterior Ponte Vecchio Return to hotel. Afternoon and evening free to stroll central Firenze and dine. Day 9 Saturday, June 11, 2016 Breakfast 9:00-noon: Fourth Tour: Santa Trinita, Pitti Palace, and Boboli Gardens; Entrance fee, bus, professional guide, personal broadcast microphones, and hearing devices are all included. Tour Description: Ponte Santa Trinita Pitti Palace Boboli Gardens Walk across Ponte Vecchio keeping an eye at the Corridoio Vasariano, the covered passage-way built for Cosimo dei Medici to link Palazzo Vecchio, political residence to Palazzo Pitti, private residence, across the river. Few palaces are as colossal as the Palazzo Pitti. Built in 1460 by the Pitti family, a banking dynasty, the project was so financially draining that the family was forced to sell it; it was bought and further enlarged by Cosimo I Medici. Today it contains a cluster of museums, of which the most important is Galleria Palatina, home to much of the Medici s collection. Orientation around the gallery s many rooms can be confusing. The collection s real highlights lie in the ornate state rooms where the paintings are arranged four or six deep. The Gallery has no fewer than 12 works by Raphael, among which are Madonna of the Chair and the Veiled Woman. Several penetrating portraits figure among the 14 paintings by Titian. The most celebrated is Portrait of English Man and Mary Magdalen. The many other painters represented include Caravaggio, Filippo Lippi, Andrea del Sarto, Rubens, and Tintoretto. Behind the Palazzo Pitti lies Florence s principal park. Giardino di Boboli was created by Cosimo I Subject to change without notice 8

9 Medici in 1549 and open to the public in The park s trees, formal gardens, walk-ways, and fountains provide a green and peaceful retreat. (Tour descriptions courtesy of Custom Travel of Firenze, Italy) Boboli Garden Return to hotel. Afternoon free to stroll central Firenze 8:30PM: Finale dinner at Osteria Dei Baroncelli Palazzo Pitti Osteria Dei Baroncelli Day 10 - Sunday, June 12, 2016 Depart by coach for Firenze airport to return home. Subject to change without notice 9

10 Residency Costs and Payment Schedule: Total cost is 1850 Euros (For example: at an exchange purchase rate of 1.25 = $2313) per person, based on double occupancy. This includes events, accommodations, transfers, & all tips, gratuity, and VAT taxes described in the day to day itinerary and specifically itemized on the inclusions page. This price does not include airfare to Firenze. Single supplement occupancy is 3150 Euros ( 1300 additional). Note that single rooms are limited. Triple rooms are occasionally available and the cost per person is the same as double room occupancy, 1850 Euros per person. At the time of the FIRST DEPOSIT with MidAm International, Inc., your dollar exchange rate for your ensemble will become fixed and firm in dollars, and this dollar amount is computed based on the exchange purchase rate for that day. From this point forward the dollar amount for this program will remain unchanged, regardless of whether the dollar weakens or strengthens for the remainder of your payment deposits. This tour is priced in EUROS because travel services in Europe are paid in EUROS not dollars. Spouses, friends, and families are welcome to be part of the residency. The package described here applies to them as well. DEPOSIT DEADLINES: $400 per person on or before June 1, 2015 (final cost in dollars for this package is fixed and firm for all of your payments at this time based on the exchange purchase rate on that day). $400 per person on or before December 15, $500 per person on or before March 15, Balance due on or before May 1, ALL CHECKS ARE PAYABLE IN US DOLLARS TO: Susquehanna Valley Chorale Please indicate "Firenze Trip" on the memo line. If you choose to pay via credit card, please call the SVC office at Kelly Beard Executive Manager Susquehanna Valley Chorale P.O. Box 172 Lewisburg, PA All deposits and payments are non-refundable and non-transferable to the group s unpaid balance, should an individual cancel their participation. Cancellation insurance, therefore, is recommended. Please visit or call to inquire about trip cancellation insurance. If MidAm International, Inc. cancels this tour, all monies will be refunded. AIRFARES TO FIRENZE ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARTICIPATING ENSEMBLES & INDIVIDUALS. If your air arrival is at an alternate airport (Milan/Rome), you need to arrange transport to Firenze at your own cost which we can provide an estimate. If you are a US citizen, a valid passport is required but no visa is required. If you are NOT a US citizen, please check with your embassy regarding entry requirements to Italy. Subject to change without notice 10

11 Land Package Inclusions (for each residency package): PERFORMANCE/ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION: 1. One public performance with orchestra and soloists. 2. Distinguished guest conductors. 3. Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina. 4. World-class soloists. 5. Professional accompanists and language coaches. 6. Audience management of concerts in cooperation with Custom Travel of Firenze, Italy. 7. National and International press coverage. 8. Internet posting and updating. 9. Concert photograph sent to each director by Aug. 1, Complimentary concert DVD sent to each director of their concert (pending approval of the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina musicians union). 11. Publicity, management, and audience development of your concert in Firenze. 12. Complimentary concert poster given to each participant at the conclusion of the tour. LODGING/GROUND TRANSPORTATION/BOARD: 13. Nine (9) nights in Firenze, double occupancy at some of the following or similar: Adriatico Hotel ( or Rivoli Hotel ( or Adler Hotel ( or Baglioni Hotel ( Single occupancy is 3150 Euros ( 1300 Euros additional) when singles are available. Triples are in limited supply, and the cost per person is still 1850 Euros per person. 14. Package includes all local taxes, gratuities and Value Added Tax (VAT). 15. MidAm International, Inc. and Custom Travel of Firenze personnel on site in the hotel during your residency. 16. MidAm International, Inc. manages all travel details during the tour on your behalf with Firenze's Custom Travel of Firenze, a company whose expertise is in concert music travel for incoming ensembles. 17. Nine (9) breakfasts. 18. Finale dinner at Osteria Dei Baroncelli (June 11) 19. Bus transfers to all tours, rehearsals, and concerts; as needed. Airport transfers will be available on June 3, upon arrival and June 12, for departure to and from the Firenze airport. NOTE: If you arrive or depart in Milan or Rome (rather than Firenze), additional bus transportation can be arranged and billed on your final invoice. If your group arrives in Rome, one 50 passenger bus to Firenze costs 1050 euros plus 30 euros Bus City Pass ONE WAY; if your group arrives in Milan, one 50 passenger bus to Firenze costs 1185 euros plus 30 euros Bus City Pass ONE WAY. 20. English-speaking guides. 21. Escorts on busses from all locations. 22. One free land package based on 30 full-paying package people (#31 is free). 23. Assistance with purchasing international flight tickets to and from Firenze when requested. TOURS (see description in itinerary Entrance fee, bus, professional guide, personal broadcast microphones, and hearing devices are all included.). 24. First Tour: Duomo complex, House of Dante, Piazza Signoria, and Church of Santa Croce; 25. Second Tour: Santa Maria Novella Church, Academy of Fine Arts, and Duomo Complex; 26. Third Tour: Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery; 27. Fourth Tour: Santa Trinita, Pitti Palace, and Boboli Gardens. Subject to change without notice 11

12 Land Package Exclusions: 1. Your round-trip air fare to Italy. 2. All lunches and dinners (except the finale dinner on June 11). 3. Purchase of your choral music. 4. Optional one-day tour to PISA, which is invoiced on your last payment for those who choose to go. 5. Optional one-day tour to Siena and San Gimignano, which is invoiced on your last payment for those who choose to go. (Optional programs 4 & 5 will be announced by February 1, 2016 with costs and detailed descriptions. For those choosing either or both optional tours, the costs will appear on their final invoice.) Kelly Beard Executive Manager Susquehanna Valley Chorale P.O. Box 172, Lewisburg, PA svc@svcmusic.org Office #: Subject to change without notice 12