Campanae Mundi

02/06/2017

Tonight we performed at one of our favorite venues, Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta in Gavinana. We filled up the house and loved the audience's enthusiasm! Our friend Leonardo brought the performers roses, and the church coordinated a reception after the show with pizza and refreshments. Thank you for having us, Gavinana!

02/06/2017

Campanae Mundi started our Thursday by catching the bus just outside Lucca's city walls to drive to the Chiesa dell'Autostrada, an architecturally fascinating church dedicated to those who lost their lives building the nearby highway. The choir took advantage of the amazing acoustics to sing Ave Maria for us all, then it was off to Vignamaggio winery for a tour and delicious lunch complete with course-by-course wine pairings. We took this opportunity to toast the evening's upcoming performance in Vinci: in Italian you don't say "break a leg;" instead, you say "in bocca al lupo!" ("into the mouth of the wolf!")

02/06/2017

Happy Friday! Campanae Mundi began our day with a cooking lesson from Gianluca Pardini of the International Academy of Italian Cuisine in Lucca. It takes an early start to prepare lunch for 33! We split into four groups to prepare our antipasti, primo, secondo, and dolce, and the results were delicious. It's always a joy to make (and eat!) pasta from scratch.

01/06/2017

Did you know Pisa is much more than a town with a leaning tower? Tonight, it was the location of our first Campanae Mundi concert! After an afternoon stop at the beach for a dip in the Mediterranean and a small aperitivo dinner, we arrived at our performance space Gipsoteca di Arte Antica dell'Università di Pisa. Our audience was small but enthusiastic, and the hall was also filled with a collection of beautiful sculptures. What a joy to perform in such a unique space!

31/05/2017

Yesterday was a full day of rehearsal, but today we're off and running to see some sights away from our home base in Lucca. We started the day at Certosa Di Calci, where our tour guide Roberta showed us around a monastery founded in the 14th century. Then it was on to perennial favorite Ristorante Da David Di Vicarello for a three hour lunch of several antipasti, two pastas, seared tuna, roast beef, and a berry dessert sampler. I think it's time for a nap on the beach now, before tonight's concert in Pisa at 9:15!

29/05/2017

Day three of rehearsal brought choir and handbells together as we prepare for our final run-through tomorrow. We couldn't spend the whole day at the table, though, with all of Lucca at our doorstep -- tour guide Carlo led us on a bicycle tour atop (and below) the walls of the city, and we finished the evening with a delicious Italian dinner at Ristorante Da Giulio Lucca.

28/05/2017

Today we split up into two groups: while the choir rehearsed in the morning, tour guide Paola led the handbell ensemble on a tour of Lucca. After lunch we swapped, and the choir saw the sights while bells were in rehearsal. A long day in the sun and our hard work on our music earned us a pizza feast at MaraMeo Pizzerie - we need a LONG table to seat us all this tour!

27/05/2017

We've arrived in Lucca! After a toast to the tour and a few quick updates at our welcome reception, bell ringers and choir members were off to an afternoon rehearsal. We put in a few hours of hard work on our music, then celebrated with a delicious dinner at Orti Di Via Elisa. Follow us here for concert info, photos, and more during our tour!

27/05/2017

We're in the news... What to do in Pisa this week!

Concerto di campane a Pisa

31/05/2015

Hard to believe today was the last day of our tour! We finished strong with two performances today in Gavinana and Lucca. It's been an amazing trip - huge thanks to all our musicians, to Canticum Novum, to all our venues and audiences, and of course to director William Kyle for putting this whole tour together. See you in 2017, Italy!

29/05/2015

A few photos from our performance at Chiesa di Santa Rita in Viareggio on Wednesday

29/05/2015

We'll be performing our last concert tomorrow at Chiese di S. Paolino in Lucca, at 9:15pm. Join us for a concert of gospel and handbell music with chamber choir Canticum Novum! http://www.luccaindiretta.it/dalla-citta/item/47678-orchestra-di-50-campane-si-esibisce-con-i-cori-in-san-paolino.html

Campanae Mundi è il titolo di un evento da non perdere in programma sabato sera (30 maggio) alle 21 nella chiesa di San Paolino. E c'è grande attesa p...