Our Last Day, May 29 - Isabel Parra & Kylie Paquette

Greetings from Castiglione! 

Today was our final day here in Italia, and as the very first rays of light graced the marigold skyline, we Zags collectively vowed to make the most of it. 

Our day began with a tour of Cremona’s beautiful Museo del Violino. The home of the violin, Cremona is one of the largest violin producers in the world. To this day, students from all corners of the globe travel to Cremona to study under the masters of the craft themselves. 

Although few of us choral singers have instrumental backgrounds, it was still such an immensely awe striking and humbling experience to witness the procurement and craftsmanship of the historic instrument. We walked through what seemed to be a forest of violins, each row descending further into the past. 

We watched craftsmen at work, peered into violin workshops, and enjoyed beautiful oil painting portrayals of old time violin makers. Perhaps most amazing, though, was a live performance by Lena Yokoyama featuring the 1669 Clisbee violin. 

The seasoned Japanese violinist sampled a selection of pieces for us, including (but not limited to) Carmen’s Suite, an Ave Maria variation, and a few Winter/Spring selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. 

Altogether, it was a stunning performance, and after hitting the gift shop, we all split off into smaller groups to explore the city for our remaining time. 

As a closing for the trip, we reconvened  to discuss our travel experiences and takeaways. We enjoyed dinner, shared a few toasts, sang, and said goodbye to our seniors. This trip has been a wonderful experience for us, and tonight was a bittersweet celebration.

We will always remember our time here in Italia. Thank you to everyone that supported us throughout our journey, and for making this trip possible!

- Isabel Parra

Ciao from Castiglione Delle Stiviere! Today was our very LAST day in Italia with the chamber chorus, which was bittersweet for most of us. We began the day by visiting Cremona, a town close to Castiglione. After visiting the violin museum, we parted ways and all experienced a number of cultural aspects. I visited some shops with a small group and went to lunch at a sweet shop which served café, lunch, and gelato. We visited a cheese shop and bought about $20 worth of Italian cheese. We had squid salads at lunch and LOTS of gelato. Taking lots of pictures as we travelled the streets of Cremona, we visited gardens and shopped at many of the food, clothes, and toy stores along the streets. After we returned from Cremona, we had a group reflection with the choir and shared what experiences stood out to us, what we would take back with us, times we felt culturally included, and other things we discovered. After the reflection, we ate for the last time at Hotel la Grotta. The staff have been so generous and welcoming that it is going to be very hard to leave. Ciao, Italia!

- Kylie Paquette