Today was an eventful day of both rehearsal and tourism! After a great breakfast at the hotel, we had another morning choral rehearsal where we worked on the Requiem and our a cappella selections. The choir is starting to come together despite being a blend of singers from all across the United States, and we are getting to higher levels of precision in rehearsal. After the choral rehearsal, I accompanied an additional 45-minute rehearsal for the soloists.
After the rehearsals, we headed into the city to tour the Colosseum and the Roman Forum! First, we had a guided tour of the Colosseum. I was thankful for the guide’s explanations of the history and architecture, and it’s a testament to Roman engineering that so much of the Colosseum is still standing nearly 2000 years later (construction began around 70 AD)! However, there was one very chilling part of the Colosseum to me. Along with other public venues in Rome such as the Circus Maximus, it was a site of public executions of Christians. Several martyrs were canonized by the Catholic Church including St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was fed to lions while spectators watched (a common practice). I felt chills walking through the Colosseum reflecting on this, and I was nearly moved to tears when I saw a cross on display in tribute to the martyrs of the church (erected by Pope John Paul II in 2000). Rome is truly a convergence of two empires, with the Roman Empire converting to Christianity. Many former Roman temples are Catholic Churches now (including the Pantheon), and the Pope leads a procession every Good Friday that begins at the cross memorial in the Colosseum. The Colosseum’s conversion from a bloody, murderous arena to a pilgrimage site in remembrance of martyred saints is one of many examples of how Roman sites today have moved past their violent, imperialist past into living memorials that help us not to stray there again.
Next up after our Colosseum tour was the Roman Forum. Due to some schedule delays, I didn’t get to spend as much time there as I would’ve liked, but seeing the courtyard and ruins of buildings and temples where Roman civic life took place was amazing. I even saw the site where Julius Caesar’s cremated ashes are buried! It is still difficult to process how much history I’m standing on and looking at while in Rome. I feel like I’m walking through a postcard and a history textbook continuously in the best way, and I’m not sure that feeling will ever wear off.
Following our day of tourism, we returned to the hotel for dinner and our first combined rehearsal of the Requiem. Like the choir, the orchestra consists of people from around the world who haven’t previously played together, so learning to truly move and trust each other as an ensemble is difficult. That being said, by the end of the rehearsal it was coming together nicely, and I’m sure our first concert tomorrow evening will go wonderfully. On that note, I have an exciting announcement to make! One of a cappella pieces the choir is singing is “Ev’ry Time I Feel The Spirit” arranged by William Dawson, and the piece features a baritone solo. After auditions tonight, I was lucky enough to be selected as the soloist! I don’t do solos often, and getting the chance to share an American spiritual with an international audience is fulfilling beyond measure. Tomorrow will be another great day of tourism before our evening concert, and I’ll look forward to updating you then!
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