San Marino and Italy
San Marino - November 23, 2019
Cesena, Italy - November 26, 2019
Livorno, Italy - November 28, 2019
Bologna, Italy - November 30, 2019
After two planes and two buses, the students and families of the Teng Studio made it to our first stop, San Marino.
We went straight to rehearsal for our concert the following night. Despite their jet lag, the studio made fast friends with their Sanmarinese stand partners. We capped off a long day with a wonderful meal of local delicacies.
Sunday was the day of our Saint Cecilia's Day concert with the San Marino Orchestra at the Basilica di San Marino. What better way to celebrate a successful performance than with pizza with our new friends!
The following day, the Teng Studio was honored with an invitation to meet the Captains Regent of San Marino. During our visit to the beautiful Palazzo Pubblico, the heads of state gave a moving speech about the power of music.
“The experience that our students have had the opportunity to live during these days is all the more precious in that we are well aware of the contribution that music can also make to the cultural and civil growth of a community. The message of freedom and peace that music can convey is the same that this ancient Republic has been honored to express and bear witness to the whole world for centuries. Music is a universal language because it is able to transcend boundaries and linguistic barriers, to unite all those who share the same passion and commitment to creating, by playing together, the extraordinary, intense emotions that music can arouse.”
Both our concert the previous evening and our State Visit were featured on San Marino national television and newspaper.
Tuesday took the Teng Studio on a day trip to Cesena, IT for masterclasses and a concert at the Conservatorio "B. Maderna". American and Italian students both got a taste of pedagogy from the opposite side of the Atlantic, and the Teng Studio had a surprise meet-up with Montecito 2019 student Grace Halloran!
After a well-deserved day off for everyone, the Teng Studio headed to Livorno, IT. After a concert and masterclass with Italian professors, we had a studio Thanksgiving dinner.
Friday gave the students and parents of the Teng Studio a day to explore Livorno and nearby Pisa while Professor Teng gave masterclasses to some wonderful students at the Istituto Musicale “P. Mascagni”.
For the last day of the tour, the Teng Studio traveled to Bologna, IT for one final concert at the Fondazione Istituto Liszt and the traditional end-of-tour Teng studio dinner.
Another successful Teng Studio-In-Residence is in the books - stay tuned for next year's tour!
In the meantime, check out the article about the studio tour in the June 2020 issue of Fra Noi!
Photo Credits: Addison Teng, Patricia Messina, and Tianming Wu