Impressions from the final concert of the 2011 Bellarmine Incantato Italy Tour

Bellarmine singers the featured guest choir for High Mass at St. Peter's Basilica - Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 5:30 PM

Bellarmine University's Schola Cantorum and the Louisville Vocal Project will sing High Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 5:30PM.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Michelangelo took over a building site at which four piers, enormous beyond any constructed since the days of Ancient Rome, were rising behind the remaining nave of the old basilica. He also inherited the numerous schemes designed and redesigned by some of the greatest architectural and engineering brains of the 16th century.
Incidentally there are over 100 tombs within St. Peter's Basilica, many located in the Vatican grotto, beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here, having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI. The most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005.

The Bellarmine Italy Tour singers at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi

"Thank you so much for singing for us!" - the Bellarmine University Schola and singers from the Louisville Vocal Project were very warmly received at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. On March 11, the touring choir under the direction of Dr. S. Timothy Glasscock were the featured guest choir for Mass at the Chapel of St. Catherine as part of their 2011 Incantato Italy Tour.

More pictures from the Bellarmine Jazz Concert at the Tea Room Siena

Bellarmine University Schola sings at St. Francis in Assisi

Bellarmine University's Schola & Louisville Vocal Project the featured guest choir at Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi on Friday, March 11 at 11 AM

BU Schola and the Louisville Vocal Project are the featured guest choir for High Mass in the Chapel of Saint Catherine within Saint Francis Basilica on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 11 AM.

The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, better known as the St. Francis Basilica, is the mother church of the Roman Order of Friars Minor, or the Franciscan Order. Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis, a Catholic deacon, preacher, and founder of the Franciscan Order. The Catholic Church also recognizes St. Francis as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and one of the two patron saints of Italy along with St. Catherine of Siena. Serving as the final resting place of St. Francis, the Basilica remains one of Italy’s most important destinations of Christian pilgrimage.

Founded in 1228, St. Francis Basilica is built into a hillside and comprises two separate churches known as the upper and lower basilicas and the crypt of the interred saint. The interior of the upper church exemplifies early Gothic architecture, and both churches flaunt intricate frescoes by late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools. Along with the accompanying friary, the basilica is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and valuable landmark in the Assisi community.

"Your best Italy performance yet", Dave Clark compliments the Bellarmine Jazz Ensemble after the Siena gig

What could top the inspiring setting of performing in the magical hill top town of Siena? Playing inside one of the original ancient cellar buildings forming it! The fifth Italy performance for the Bellarmine Jazz Ensemble on their 2011 Italy Incantato Tour took place in what is now known as "The Tea Room" of Siena, a quirky café-bar and favorite hangout among local students and jazz lovers just of the main square - if you know where to go.
And the Senesi sure came out on Thursday night to hear the combo under the artistic guidance of Dave Clark and Richard Burchard from Bellarmine University in Louisville play in their home town. The gig lasted a good 2,5 hours and the audience had a hart time letting go of the fine young musicians. Dave Clark was very proud of his students: "Tonight was your best Italy performance yet". And fellow Professor Meme Tunnel added: "It is amazing how they have improved since there first Italy performance on Saturday." Next stop for the Bellarmine University Music Department is the eternal city of Rome.

Let's jazz again! Bellarmine University's next gig is on March 9 at 7 pm in Florence: Come see them at Sala Bianca (Hotel Cellai)

Now what better place than one of the hippest hotels in town is the location for the fourth concert of the Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble. After gigs to full houses and excited audiences in Maiori and Naples, the musicians under the direction of David Clark are featured on stage at the beautiful Sala Bianca within the city center Boutique Hotel Cellai on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 PM.
Hotel Cellai is located in the heart of the historic center of Florence. Its style recalls the one of the ancient inns of past times where young, European aristocrats stayed while discovering the beauty and artistic mysteries offered in Italy. Flooring in stone or terracotta, stone arches, antique furniture and artistic furnishing accessories make the hotel a unique place. The public areas host monthly exhibitions of Contemporary Arts under the ArteInCasa Visual Arts program which make it the perfect place for the Jazzers from Louisville, KY on their 2011 Incantato Italy Performance Tour.

Italian-American Jam Session in Naples

The Napolitans sured loved the Bellarmine Jazz Ensemble

And they keep on jazzin...

How about some pastry along with information about the Bellarmine Jazz Concert in Naples?

The people of Naples surely spread the word about the Bellarmine Jazz Ensemble's Incantato concert on Monday, March 7.

Bellarmine Jazz Ensemble in Maiori

First Bellarmine University Gig in Maiori leads to a repeat performance on Sunday, March 6 at 8 pm

The Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble kicked of their 2011 Incantato Italy Performance Tour with a concert at the historic town hall of Maiori on Saturday, March 5 to a full house. The audience, including Assesore Andrea del Pizzo, loved the combo under the direction of Dave Clark so much, that the musicians were asked to present a second concert and jam session the following night again as one of the highlights for the Carneval celebrations when thousands of visitors are expected to come to Maiori on the Amalfi Coast.

Bellarmine University's Schola Cantorum & Louisville Vocal Project perform at Il Duomo di San Gregorio Magno, Monte Porzio Catone - March 13 at 7 PM

Bellarmine University’s Schola Cantorum and Louisville Vocal Project will perform in concert at Il Duomo di San Gregorio Magno in Monte Porzio Catone on Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 7:00PM. Il Duomo di San Gregorio Magno, or the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Great, was constructed in 1666 in Monte Porzio Catone, Italy. Prince Giovan Battista Borghese, Lord of Monte Porzio, commissioned architect Carlo Rainaldi to design the structure. The façade, flanked by two sets of columns, is crowned by a triangular pediment boasting a large marble coat of arms. The molding above the central doorway bears the inscription “Divo Gregorio Magno Dicatum,” or “Dedicated to Saint Gregory the Great.” Two large bell towers also border the exterior of the church. Rainaldi constructed the church in a traditional Greek cross layout with three altars and two small chapels near the entrance. In honor of Prince Borghese, each wall bears a chancel adorned with the dragon and eagle of the Borghese coat of arms. The four confessionals are identical to those in the Roman church of Santa Maria Campitelli, also designed by Rainaldi. The church also displays 18th century images of the Via Crucis, a 17th century statue of Sant’Antonio Abate, and a large 19th century organ.

Incantato Tours presents the Bellarmine University Music Department at Montecassino Abbey on Tuesday, March 8 at 11 AM

The Bellarmine University Music Department, of Louisville, Kentucky, will tour the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, where they will also perform a brief recital for the Abbey community at 11:00AM.

Monte Cassino is a rocky mountain approximately 80 miles southeast of Rome. Saint Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery here, the source and foundation of the Benedictine Order, in 529. The monastery stands as one of the few territorial abbeys remaining within the Catholic Church.

According the Gregory the Great’s biography of Saint Benedict, the monastery was constructed on an older pagan sight, a temple of Apollo that originally crowned the hill. The biography claims that Benedict’s first act was to smash the sculpture of Apollo and destroy the pagan altar. He then reused the temple, dedicating it to Saint Martin, and built a new chapel which he dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Once established at Monte Cassino, Benedict never left. There he penned the Benedictine Rule which ultimately became the founding principle of western monasticism. Monte Cassino became the model for future Benedictine developments throughout the world.

Unfortunately the Abbey has fallen target to numerous military insurgencies throughout the years, including the infamous 1944 Battle of Monte Cassino. On February 15, 1944, the Abbey was almost completely destroyed by Allied air-raids after being mistakenly identified as a German stronghold. In fact, the Abbey was being used as a refuge for women and children attempting to shield themselves from the war. The Abbey was rebuilt after the war, financed by the Italian State, and was reconsecrated by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

Farewell Celebration and Jazz Ensemble performance at Casal Pilozzo in Rome on Sunday, March 13 at 8 PM

The Bellarmine University Music Department Performance Tour will celebrate the end of their Italian journey at the Casal Pilozzo with dinner, wine tasting, and a special performance by the Jazz Ensemble.

Casal Pilozzo, a property of the Pulcini family located in the village of Monte Porzio Catone, sits atop a marvelous hill just nine and a half miles south of Rome offering beautiful views of the Eternal City.

Considered one of the oldest farms of the Castelli Romani area, the Casale was built on the ruins of an ancient dwelling place thought by many scholars to be the residence of the sister and nephew of Emperor Traiano. Throughout the modern age, it has served as residence to many famous personalities, from the likes of Orson Welles to the families of Filonardi Brandi e Bottai and Tyrone Power.

The subsoil of the Casale features ancient tufa soil grottoes, extending for hundreds of meters, where the wines are stored to mature in natural conditions of stable temperature and humidity. Hidden in the depths of the cellars stands an ancient altar carved in the tufa soil. Some historians believe the cellars to be remnants of a cave-dwelling “protostorico” village.

The Casale stands in the center of the property, surrounded by a magnificent park and 13 hectares of volcanic land now cultivated for vineyards and olive groves. The pride of Casal Pilozzo remains the strictly biological cultivation and selection of wine grapes. Varieties include Malvasia del Lazio, Grechetto Antico, Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlote, and Syrah.

The Vineyards and vinification, olive trees, and oil production are all personally controlled by the Pulcini family. This makes the Casal Pilozzo one of the few truly “family-run” operations, demonstrating in practice the very real possibility for creating high-quality products in coexistence with an environmentally friendly philosophy.

Santa Maria al Mare: Incantato Tour Performance - "Aint Got Time to Die" by the CSULB Chamber Choir

Visit Montepulciano: birthplace of Saint Bellarmine

Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and commune in the province of Siena in southern Tuscany, Italy, just 77 miles southeast of Florence and 115 miles north of Rome.  

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Montepulciano developed as a religious center under the Lombards. Robert Bellarmine was born here on October 4, 1542 to Vincenzo Bellarmino and his wife Cizia Cervini, the sister of Pope Marcellus II. Robert Bellarmine went on to become a Roman Catholic Cardinal and one of thirty-three Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church. He was active in the movements of the Counter-Reformation and was ultimately canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930.

Today, Montepulciano is recognized as a major producer of food and drink. The town is known internationally for its top-quality wine. Wine connoisseurs consider its Vino Nobile among Italy’s best. Montepulciano is also known for its pork products, cheese, pici pasta, lentils, and honey.