Bellarmine Schola sings "Sanctus" from Richard Burchard at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

Jazz in Siena: The Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble rocks the Tea Room on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 9 PM

A favorite hang-out for Sienese Jazz fans is found just off the famous Campo and the place to be on Thursday night for live music and good company is the Tea Room. After a great gig in Florence the night before, the BU Jazz Combo is taking the Siena stage here on March 10, 2011 at 9 PM. The Tea Room is also on facebook.

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.

The Jazz Ensemble of Bellarmine University Music Department performs at Oratorio di S.Giovanna Antida Thouret (Naples) on Monday, March 7 at 7 PM

On Monday, March 7, 2011 the Jazz Ensemble of the Bellarmine University Music Department, of Louisville, Kentucky, will present a concert of well-known American jazz standards featuring the music of Ellington, Mancini, Rodgers & Hart, Young, and Garner under the direction of Mr. David Clark in Naples. The venue will be a no-more-sacred church, now used as an oratory and concert hall, called Oratorio di S.Giovanna Antida Thouret (former Chiesa dei S.Bernardino e Margherita a Fonseca). The Chiesa dei S.Bernardino e Margherita a Fonseca was built in the XVII century by Pietro de Martino. At the end of the century, chapels were added as well as a dome. After an earthquake in 1980, it was restored and since then has been used as an oratory where the youth meets for performances and social activities.

For the jam session, the Jazz Ensemble of the Bellarmine University Music Department will get support from the local jazz class of the Naples Conservatory "San Pietro a Majella". The director is Pietro Condorelli, one of the best jazz guitar players in Italy. The conservatory and adjacent church are today part of the old San Pietro a Majella monastic complex, built at the end of the 13th century and dedicated to the monk Pietro da Morone, who became Pope Celestine V in 1294. The conservatory houses an impressive library of manuscripts pertaining to the lives and musical production of composers who lived and worked in Naples, among whom are Alessandro Scarlatti, Pergolesi, Domenico Cimarosa, Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. The historical museum has a display of rare antique musical instruments.

Bellarmine University's Schola Cantorum & Louisville Vocal Project perform at Chiesa di Santa Teresa Degli Scalzi (Naples) on Monday, March 7 at 4:45 PM

On Monday, March 7 at 4:45 PM, the Bellarmine University Choirs will sing at Chiesa di Santa Teresa Degli Scalzi in Naples. The church is the eponym for the street on which it is located, just around the corner to the north of the National Archaeological Museum. The interior of the church is a treasure trove, with works by painters Paolo de Matteis and Battistello Caracciolo and the sculptor Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, among many others. Also, the church holds a painting of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII. It is by Giacomo Colombo and is from 1715, the era of the brief Austrian Hapsburg vice-realm in Naples. The chapel of St. Teresa within the church was designed by Cosimo Fanzago and is considered relevant in the history of Neapolitan Baroque art.

Bellarmine University's Schola Cantorum & Louisville Vocal Project perform at Chiesa di San Francesco (Maiori) on Sunday, March 6 at 6 PM

Incantato Tours proudly presents the Bellarmine University's Schola Cantorum & Louisville Vocal Project under the direction of Dr. S. Timothy Glasscock at Chiesa di San Francesco in Maiori on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 6 PM. The singers will first perform during Mass and then present a concert.

The beautiful Chiesa di San Francesco was constructed in 1405. It is located between the convent and the Cove of the Announced one (Grotta dell'Annunziata) in Maiori. The church has a rough history: In 1435 it was destroyed by the army of Muhammad II (Turkey) and rebuilt one year later by Saint Bernardino from Siena. A sea storm hit the Chiesa di San Francesco hard in 1440. It was destroyed and in 1517 reconstructed on the oriental side of the convent. But the work was interrupted again by a Turkish invasion. In 1590 the construction was finally completed. Last but not least there were several constructive modifications after two seas storm in 1631 and 1674. The church is famed world-wide for the miracle of the springing water in the convent. Please click here to go the picture's origin.

Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble will perform at Sala Bianca, Hotel Cellai (Florence) on Wednesday, March 9 at 7:00 PM

On Wednesday, March 9 the Jazz Ensemble will perform at the Sala Bianca, Hotel Cellai in Florence at 7:00 PM. Hotel Cellai is located in the heart of the historic center of Florence in an characteristic and quiet area. 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 an unique place. The public areas host monthly exhibitions of Contemporary Arts under the ArteInCasa Visual Arts program.

Special Guest: Bellarmine University will perform during Mass at Chiesa Santa Roberto Bellarmino on Sunday, March 13, at noon

On Sunday, March 13 at noon, the Bellarmine travelers will be the featured guest performers during mass at Chiesa di San Roberto Bellarmino. The church is located in the Parioli district, one of Rome’s most exclusive areas. It was built and designed by Clement Busiri Vici between 1931 and 1933. The church is named after a Jesuit saint of the seventeenth century, Robert Bellarmine. The interior has a single nave and transept, and an octagonal cupola. The mosaics of the transept, dome and apse are designed by Renato Tomassi. In 1980 the church was visited by Pope John Paul II.

Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble in concert at Sala degli Affreschi, Comune di Maiori, on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 PM

Incantato Tours proudly presents the Bellarmine University Jazz Ensemble at the beautiful Sala degli Affreschi, Comune di Maiori, on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 PM. The Sala degli Affreschi is part of the Mezzacapo Building. As the visitor enters the massive carved wooden door, the magnificence of the ancient entrance to the home of the former Marquis of Mezzacapo is immediately apparent.
Two marble stairways lead to the upper floors of the building, which, today, is the seat of the City Hall. The sumptuous Reception Hall stands out among the various rooms of the building. The grand vaulted ceiling, frescoed with a depiction of "the triumph of the Olympians", and the walls adorned by mirrors and gilded figurines, give this hall a pompous ambiance, but also enchanting. In 1943, during the Allied landing, this building was the General Headquarters of the American troops stationed in the area.