Fun Moments: Farewell Dinner in Rome for the Mayfield Senior Girls

Mayfield Senior Woman's Chorale sings at Trinita dei Monti

Pictures from the Farewell Dinner

Mayfield Senior School Women's Chorale at the Vatican

Slideshow: Mayfield Senior Girls at the Vatican on Wednesday, April 11

Mayfield Senior School at the Papal Audience in Rome: Chilly, but happy to be in the front rows

Papal audience

Facts about Vatican City

Vatican City, officially the State of the Vatican City, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the capital city of Italy. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares, and a population of just over 800.

Vatican City is a city-state that came into existence in 1929. It is distinct from the Holy See, which dates back to early Christianity and is the main Episcopal see of 1.147 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe.

Ordinances of Vatican City are published in Italian; official documents of the Holy See are issued mainly in Latin. The two entities even have distinct passports: the Holy See, not being a country, only issues diplomatic and service passports; the state of Vatican City issues normal passports. In both cases the passports issued are very few.

Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state, ruled by the bishop of Rome - the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergymen of various nationalities. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Pope's residence, referred to as the Apostolic Palace. The Popes have resided in the area, that in 1929 became Vatican City, since the return from Avignon in 1377.

Mayfield Senior Girls Touring Choir will Sing Twice at the Vatican on Wednesday, April 11

What a special day this will be for the members of the Mayfield Senior Italy Tour! On Wednesday, April 11, 2012, the singers among the travelers will be performing first for his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI during the Papal Audience and then perform again in the afternoon as the featured guest choir for Mass in St. Peter's Basilica under the direction of their director Mr. Howard Cheung.

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 in the world. 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 a famous place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and 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.

Impressions from the special atelier visit with Franco Bellardi for the MSS Visusal Arts students on the 2012 Incantato Italy Tour

Incantato Tours Impressions from "Arts in Motion" by the Mayfield Senior School artists from Rieti, Italy

Mayfield Senior Girls Incantato Tour Performance made the news

Romeo and Juliet, oggi la Flavio Vespasiano
Studenti della Mayfield Senior School
	Una rivisitazione dei giovani studenti californiani della Mayfield Senior School di Pasadena
dalla Redazione martedì 10 aprile 2012
Oggi, martedì 10 aprile alle ore 18.30 , presso il Teatro Flavio Vespasiano, Romeo e Giulietta in una rivisitazione multidisciplinare della Mayfield Senior School di Pasadena (USA) . Giovani scrittori creativi, ballerini, coro e strumentisti (tutti trai 14 e i 18 anni d’età) propongono uno spettacolo del conservatorio artistico della prestigiosa scuola californiana.  Una rilettura dell’opera di Shakespeare con interventi che spaziano dalla recitazione classica alle arti visive, dall’hip hop alla musica per coro, dal balletto alla musica strumentale. Da non perdere. Arts in Motion è il programma che l’Assessorato alla Cultura del Comune di Rieti, Incantato Tours e Wealbiz presentano quest’anno a Rieti, dopo i successi dei concerti per coro dello scorso anno. Incantato Tours ha definitivamente inserito Rieti tra le città europee nelle quali fanno tappa i propri gruppi.  Quest’anno infatti il gruppo soggiorna nel capoluogo sabino per una settimana, aggiungendo alla performance teatrale di questa sera un intervento alla messa in Cattedrale del lunedì di Pasqua alle ore 18, una visita alla processione del venerdì santo a Contigliano e un laboratorio artistico con gli artisti di Art Monastery al Colle di Costa di Labro. Numerose e variate le visite le degustazioni gastronomiche presso noti ristoranti della Città. Sandra Weinacht , titolare di Incantato Tours e Diego Di Paolo, amministratore di Wealbiz, hanno voluto inserire tra le attività dei giovani studenti californiani, anche un laboratorio di pittura con l’artista Franco Bellardi presso la sua Schola.  Come recita la mission di Incantato Tours “sperimentare la ricca storia e la bellezza delle più rinomate destinazioni europee e scoprire le gemme nascoste con acustiche meravigliose e pubblico raffinato”….e proprio grazie all’acustica del Teatro Flavio Vespasiano e al suo esperto pubblico , Rieti è inserita tra le gemme d’Europa per l’ambìto mercato dei viaggi studio dei college americani. Sarà il Liceo Classico M. T. Varrone il partner reatino della Mayfield Senior School.

Magnificent Venue for the Mayfield Senior Highlight Performance Event on April 10 at 6:30 pm: The Rieti Theatre

The Teatro di Rieti is a magical place where the MSS students will be presenting a highlight performance event as part of their 2012 Italy Tour.

The current structure of the theatre dates back to December of 1883 but was not officially inaugurated until September 20, 1893, featuring productions of Goethe’s Faust and Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana.

The theater, named for the Roman Emperor Vespasian, required ten years of construction under the direction of Milanese architect Achille Sfondrini. The theater underwent complete restoration from 2005 through 2009. A grand re-opening celebration commenced on January 10, 2009 featuring conductor Marcello Rota, and soloists Karina Grigoryan, Jessica Pratt, Anna Gorayacheva, and Roman Burdenko. The Secretary to the Prime Minister as well as Senator Franco Marini were in attendance. The restoration efforts totaled more than 3.3 million Euros. The reopening of the theater also fostered the formation of the Flavius Vespasian Foundation, aiming to promote international artistry and music. 

The Rieti Theatre also annually hosts the Rieti Dance Festival, the International Competition for the New Opera Voices of Mattia Battistini and the National Competition for Young Actors. The theatre is well known for its excellent acoustics, a characteristic that earned the structure the very first National Award for the Acoustics. In referring to the acoustics, Professor Bruno Cagli, president of the National Academy of Saint Cecilia, once called the theatre “the world’s best in that respect”. 

For more information, please click here.

Mrs. Darnell reports from Rieti: "Unbelievable experiences"

Our last two days in Rieti were unbelievable. The Artist took an incredible class with a master teacher. the performers were in the Teatro preparing of their evening performance. The writers blogged and of course there was the free time for lunch. A group of students from Rieti spent the day with us' but nothing could prepare me for the evening. All the prep, dedication and focus came into play on the stage, it warms my heart with pride and joy.

More news coverage for the Mayfield Senior Girls highlight performance

ROMEO AND JULIET DOMANI AL TEATRO FLAVIO

09/04/2012 | Archivio, Costume, Cronaca, Cultura, Curiosità, Index, Io Reporter, Personaggi | 0 Commenti

 (1 voti - 5,00 / 5)

Martedi 10 aprile alle ore 18.30 , presso il Teatro Flavio Vespasiano,  Romeo e Giulietta in una rivisitazione multidisciplinare della Mayfield Senior School di Pasadena (USA) . Giovani scrittori creativi, ballerini, coro e strumentisti  (tutti trai 14 e i 18 anni d’età) propongono uno spettacolo del conservatorio artistico della prestigiosa scuola californiana. Una rilettura dell’opera di Shakespeare con interventi che spaziano dalla recitazione classica  alle arti visive, dall’hip hop alla musica per coro, dal balletto alla musica strumentale. Da  non perdere. Arts in Motion è il programma che l’Assessorato alla Cultura del Comune di Rieti, Incantato Tours e Wealbiz presentano quest’anno a Rieti, dopo i successi dei concerti per coro dello scorso anno. Incantato Tours ha definitivamente inserito Rieti tra le città europee nelle quali fanno tappa i propri gruppi. Quest’anno infatti il gruppo soggiorna nel capoluogo sabino per una settimana , aggiungendo alla performance teatrale di martedi un intervento alla messa in Cattedrale del  lunedi di Pasqua alle ore 18.00, una visita alla processione del venerdi santo a Contigliano e un laboratorio artistico con gli artisti di Art Monastery  al Colle di Costa di Labro. Numerose e variate le visite le degustazioni gastronomiche presso noti ristoranti della Città. Sandra Weinacht , titolare di Incantato Tours e Diego Di Paolo , amministratore di Wealbiz, hanno voluto inserire tra le attività dei giovani studenti californiani, anche un laboratorio di pittura con l’artista Franco Bellardi presso la sua Schola. Come recita la mission di Incantato Tours  “ sperimentare la ricca storia e la bellezza delle più rinomate destinazioni europee e scoprire le gemme nascoste con acustiche meravigliose e pubblico raffinato”….e proprio grazie all’acustica del Teatro Flavio Vespasiano e al suo esperto pubblico , Rieti è inserita tra le gemme d’Europa per l’ambìto mercato dei viaggi studio dei college americani. Sarà il Liceo Classico M.T.Varrone il partner reatino della Mayfield Senior School. Foto: RietiLife © 9 Aprile 2012

Poems from Rieti

4/10/12

By Olivia Lyons-Potter

Right now, visual artists are attending a workshop on painting, dancers are reviewing last minute blocking, theatre performers are practicing lines, and choristers are going over music for the show tonight.  Yesterday, the choir performed for the first time at a mass, and we can only hope that today’s show goes as smoothly.  There is a large amount of anticipation for the show, but also a bittersweet feeling as we spend our last day in Rieti and prepare to go to Rome early tomorrow morning.

Before the Show

By Nisha Malhotra

4/10/12

Colors swirl, scattering light

Wings spreading, trying to take flight

Burning desire, burning hate

Galaxies pass, twisting fate

Stars collide, and planets tilt

Flowers bloom, and flowers wilt

Let it be, whisper the leaves

The wind weaves its way through the trees

Take life’s journey smooth and slow

Plenty of places and spaces to go

The sun will set and the moon will rise

Under blackened, star-lit skies

All these universes in the blink of an eye

I breathe in deep, spread my wings, and FLY

MSS "Arts in Motion" Performance is today

Rieti

Hey everyone,
Today is our last day in Rieti. We've enjoyed it so much! :) The food is great, the people are nice and peaceful, and the sights are absolutely gorgeous! We're going to perform tonight and leave tomorrow morning. We're going to miss this town as we make our way to Rome... Arrivederci!
Jasmine

Howard arrives

Mayfield Italy - Art Monastary Lunch Photo by Lake

--
Sam Robinson
602 Maltman Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90026
310 433-3393 Cell

Singing at mass!

Garden

Group picture

Cathedral

Cathedral of Rieti

Choir

Rehearsal with Mr.Cheung

Ready for mass at the Cathedral of Rieti

Art Monastery in Labro

Art monastery

Buona pasqua! We had a magnificent Easter Sunday in Assisi where our tour guide enlightened us with the story of how St. Francis "rebuilt his Father's church," along with a historical overview of the city. We saw the gorgeous St. Francis Basillica and St. Chiara basillica. It was visually spectacular with ornate architecture and interior design. Meticulously painted works of art told the stories of St. Francis and St. Chiara. Later we enjoyed a light lunch, shopped for souvenirs, saw the tomb of St. Francis, and attended mass in Reiti.
One would think that celebrating a holiday such as Easter in a foreign country might be uncomfortable, strange even. But attending mass with mostly Italian-speakers made me realize what the holidays and family are about. Holidays are understanding people through their actions, not words. Family is smiling and shaking the hand of a woman who speaks a different language.
Today we explored the internal link between one's thoughts and one's art form. At the Art Monestary, we participated in workshops in theatre, dance, and songwriting. It was a beautiful thing to escape from the distractions of daily life and just improvise dance or write in pesce and quiet.
-Allysen.

April 9 visit to the ArtMonastery: Please meet President & Co-Founder Betsy McCall

On Easter Monday, April 9, 2012, the travelers from Mayfield Senior School will visit the ArtMonastery Project in Labro, near Rieti and get to know the President and Co-founder of this unique initiative: Ms. Betsy McCall. Betsy is an American visual artist whose investigations of sacred geometries in paint and video have been exhibited from San Francisco to Amsterdam. Her work has taken the form of large-scale labor-intensive drawings and paintings; abstract video; and social sculpture. She is also an internationally ranked synchronized swimmer and is co-founder of San Francisco Tsunami Synchronized Swimming. She was previously Editor of Publications at Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the world-renowned museum of Buffalo, New York, and founded Shizknits, an innovative small business developing knitted accessories and custom sweaters. Betsy holds degrees from Yale University and San Francisco Art Institute, and her writing and visual art have been featured in publications such as Buffalo Magazine, Readymade, Lucky, Bust Magazine, MacWorld, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Gazette, and Knitty, and has appeared repeatedly on HGTV’s “Crafters: Coast to Coast,” DIY’s “Knitty Gritty,” and CBS’s “Evening Magazine.”

Welcome to Labro

Assisi

Assisi was very fun. There we got to see St. Francis's tomb. We had to be quiet while walking into it because many people from all over Italy came to pray in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Below the church were the tombs of his companions. I watched as people lit candles in honor of them. Over all The city was beautiful and I loved the architecture of the city. The view from the city was very pretty because it looked out to green hills and a town situated on the hill. We took a scenic route to Assisi where we saw more hills covered with low clouds. Also we saw a tree with purple flowers called The Judas tree. In all I had a great time in Assisi.
Danielle

Walking around Assisi

Basilica of Saint Francis

Pecorino cheese

Assisi

Ready for another great day

Prosciutto di Norcia

Piazza del Comune

Guided tour with Mr. Werner from Assisi

Santa Chiara Assisi

Just arrived in Assisi

MSS student report from Italy: "Experiencing the Land"

Buildings in Italy are dispersed throughout the countryside like how a lazy farmer scatters seeds: mixed together and thrown to the wind. Our four-hour bus ride to Florence gave us plenty of time to observe this pattern, or lack there of, but at the same time this arrangement has a sort of organic order like everything else in Italy. More of this order, which can only truly be found in a civilisation as old as Italy is seen in the landscape. The sharp contrast between the rolling Appennines Mountains and their vallies is beautiful and their smooth peaks trap the clouds, keeping them low to the earth casting an ethereal mood on the land. The trees also all seem to grow to the same height and in neat rows-but manage to look natural and almost as if they have never come in contact with humans.
Entering the modern walls of the city, the trend of shutters--both the traditional and modern styles continued. The bustling city is home to great art, diverse peoples, and bold pigeons. Engaged in a walking tour of the city, we learned about traditional city planning and how it has been modernised or preserved through the centuries. Our tour took us to see Michelangelo's "David," a sculpture more breathtaking than I could have imagined. Our guide described Michelangelo's belief that sculpture was the only true art form: in sculpture, the work is already trapped inside the marble, and the artist has the vision to release it from it's confines, while in painting, the artist adds to a canvas until they are personally satisfied. Outside the museum we saw street artists portraying famous sculptures bringing the art into the current century. Turning the corner we were floored to see the magnitude of the Florence Cathedral. Requiring three architects for the main cathedral and an additional architect for the grande dome, the building is ornate and mystifying. Painted with greens, reds, browns, and white the building is anything but ordinary. Another interesting fact we learned about the cathedral of Santa Croce is that it is the resting place of many famous artists including Michelangelo and Machiovelli. We then split, the visual artists visiting Uffizi and the rest of the group exploring the shopping options of the city ending in a fine leather store where we were given a demonstration on leather gilding with Italian 18 karat gold concluding the tour.
My favourite aspect of the city though was the graffiti. Here in Italy, we have seen a variety of grafitti: tagging, calls for social change, declarations of love, and street art. Unlike in the States, the graffiti is let be on city walls, sidewalks, and streets and adds great character to the cities and towns. Long sentences are written neatly across the road in Italian and English and world-renowned street artist's work marks street corners and traffic signs. My favorite wall in the city though, was the one outside The Academia, where the "David" resides, that was marked with names of visitors from all over the world in many different languages and one drawing of a sloth. I really enjoy Italian graffiti, because it is a clear depiction of the voice of the Italian people--their love, their loyalties, and their anger and gives us a more intimate glimpse of Italian culture.
Ciao!
Tori xx

Colomba pasquale

Colomba Pasquale ("Easter Dove" in English) or Colomba di Pasqua is an Easter counterpart of the two well-known Italian Christmas desserts, panettone and pandoro.

The dough for the Colomba is made in a similar manner to panettone, withflour, eggs, sugar, natural yeast and butter; unlike panettone, it usually containscandied peel and no raisins. The dough is then fashioned into a dove shape (colomba in Italian) and finally is topped with pearl sugar and almonds before being baked.Some manufacturers produce other versions including a popular bread topped with Chocolate.

"The Italy Experience" by Nisha Malhotra

Nisha Malhotra sums up her impressions of Italy thus far in a different way:
"The river pulses along its course, determined to get to its ultimate destination. The soft rushing wakes You up soothingly, gently. Sunlight filters into The room, restricted only by The sheer curtains, casting a soft yellow glow across The floor. The smell of fresh bread and cake awaits You as You stretch your arms out wide, preparing yourself for The wonders of The day to come. And come They do.
Florence. Art and culture and craftsmanship combine in a clash of The senses. Stores, people, and bright colors sweep by in a swirl of excitement as you take it all in, intoxicating yourself in The fact that You Are actually HERE, in ITALY, and how lucky You Are. Century old statues and golden paintings take your breath away, leaving You in a state of awe. You Are transported to a different era, a different world. Can such beauty even exist? The landscapes You witness on easter morning, fresh with The promise of happiness in The air, blow your mind. You cant decide whether or not to be afraid of The steep cliffside drop Next to You, or too ensnared by its lusciousness. You've never seen such greenery, nature in its original state. You feel blessed with The Sun shining on you, sitting amongst friends who Are really your family, and You breathe in deep, grateful to be alive at such a glorious time."

Our dessert: PANNA COTTA