Hello all,

I'm sitting back in home sweet home in the Accademia, just having returned from a wonderful fall break.  Over the course of 9 days, I saw 8 professional-calibre concerts, and none of the tickets were over 30 Euros.  5 other Accademia dell'Arte musicians and I went to Berlin and Vienna, and soaked up every opportunity we could to see good music.

A quick run-down of the concerts: Sir Jon Eliot Gardiner conducting Haydn's Creation, the Berlin Philharmonic playing Bartok, Britten, and R. Strauss, an organ recital featuring Jean Guillou (who studied with Messaien and Durufle), the Berlin Phil Piano Quartet playing Bridge, Mendelssohn, and Brahms, a performance of Strauss' "Die Frau ohne Schatten" (The Woman without a Shadow) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Vienna Radio Orchestra playing an American concert (music by Bernstein, Ibert, Gershwin, and Stravinsky) at the Musikverein in Vienna, Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Vienna Early Music Consort (with Carolyn Sampson) playing Pergolesi, a Trombone concerto by Albrechtsberger, and Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, and Fidelio (Beethoven's only opera) at the Wiener Staatsoper.

A few tips on making the most of your fall break musically:

• If music is a priority, plan to spend some time in a big music city.  Small towns in Italy or Switzerland will be beautiful, but won't have the same opportunities as a big city like Berlin. 
• Look for music before you go.  Check the major orchestra and opera websites for the city.
• When you get to your city, go to the big music halls (Symphony and Opera) and look at the fliers outside.  You may have missed something on the website that, in the moment, looks like a good concert.
• Most concert halls have student discounts with your International Student ID Card (ISIC), so don't assume that a concert will be too rich for your blood.
• Most of these student tickets are only available an hour before the performance, but check in advance in case the show will be sold out.
• Some places offer cheap standing room tickets; it may not be a luxurious way to see a concert, but it will certainly open up opportunities for you.

The trip wasn't all music, though.  While in Berlin, we took a tour through the Reichstag (Parliament) building, saw the remnants of the Wall around the Brandenburg Gate, walked through the Tiergarden, and saw the Holocaust Museum, and in Vienna we checked out the modern art at the MOMUK (Modern Museum of Art), visited the house where Haydn wrote the Creation, the Summer Palace of the Hapsburgs, and sampled some world-famous Sacher Torte at the Sacher Hotel on the Ringstrasse.

We all set out to have a musical trip, but if that's not your priority, there are as many things to do over the course of the week as you can think of.  Take advantage of being so close to so many places that would cost an arm and a leg to reach from the US.  

All best to everyone applying for the program!

 - Sam

The deadline for next year's Music in Italy application approaches!  I thought I'd say a few words to those individuals thinking about applying for the program.

You should study abroad IF...

• you want to experience life in another culture
• you like foreign languages and the frustration and hilarity that ensues when trying to communicate with foreigners
• you want to learn how to be your own travel agent
• you want to get on the wrong train, get lost in an unfamiliar city, and (hopefully after all that) master public transportation
• you can survive on bread, cheese, and pasta for three months
• you can, like the great Bingham Vick always says, "Adjust-Adapt-Accept"
• you want to find out what "uphill both ways" really means
• you want to experience the sights and history of the Italian Renaissance
• you can cope with being away from home and Furman for a semester
• you want to be an hour train ride away from Florence, a three hour train ride away from Rome and Milan, and a two hour flight away from most major European cities
• you want to break free of your Furman-induced Type A personality to live in "Italian Time"
• you want to study music from a new approach

Studying at the Accademia dell'Arte is a completely different experience than you will have ever had.  Listen to the advice and anecdotes of past years' participants.  If you are accepted, have high hopes and expect the unexpected.  Good luck to all of the applicants!

- Anna

Here are a few photos from the recent vocal masterclasses with Reinhart and Gisela Pohl. In another photo choral conductor Gary Graden is shown speaking to our group.  

The street scenes are of a couple of our students making music history presentations in front of the Duomo Cathedral in Florence  (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore).  How's that for living history!  Click on the thumb nail image to see full size.

Ciao, i miei amici!  The Furman in Italy group has successfully arrived in Arezzo!  Our flights were on-time and went fairly smoothly (apparently, the puddle-jumper from Munich to Florence was very turbulent, but I was dead asleep).  We have been here for a week now, and are finally becoming accustomed to the environment at the Accademia and to Italian culture.  I'm still suffering from jet lag, but the initial culture shock has worn off.

We happened to get here on the busiest weekend in Arezzo, when both the monthly antiques fair and the biannual joust were taking place.  It's a thirty minute walk from the Accademia into town (uphill both ways, of course), and after making that trek four times and having the chance to explore the town, I am beginning to get to know my way around and to develop nicely toned legs.  Arezzo is a decently-sized city with a large pedestrian area where you can find more shops, bars, and gelaterias than you would ever need.  We went into town the night before the joust, which is the biggest party night of the year in Arezzo.  The Italians were just as crazy at the joust the next day, with an almost irrational passion for their respective teams.  I'm glad that things have calmed down, but it was a wonderful immersion into the city's culture.

The twelve students from Furman, as well as a singer and a clarinet player from Muhlenberg and SUNY Fredonia, respectively, are taking Music History and Conducting from Dr. Britt, and are joining 15 undergrad theatre students and 13 master's students for Italian classes.  With class from 9-1 each morning, our afternoons are free for practicing, doing homework, and having lessons--or making the trek into town.  Our teachers are Italian musicians from all over Tuscany.  I enjoyed my first lesson and diction class with Francesca, the voice teacher, and many of us have chosen to study an entire Italian opera role with her this semester.  I am looking forward to learning as much as I can!

It is a privilege to live in such a beautiful place where I can focus on my studies as a musician.  If you want to read more about my adventure, you can check out my blog here, or see some more pictures on facebook!

Anna Diemer, Vocal Performance