USCGA Chorale Cadets Tour Italy with Song

[Luigi59]

USCGA Chorale Cadets Tour Italy with Song

From: iCommandant / Web Journal of Admiral Thad Allen

Guest Blog from Livorno, Italy
by First Class Jason Veara
U.S. Coast Guard Academy

The 22 member Coast Guard Academy Chorale arrived in Venice, Italy March 6th for an eight day international singing tour. Since arriving we have performed at many prestigious venues. Our first concert on Sunday was at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. Located on Venice's Grand Canal, the museum is dedicated to 20th Century European Art. We were graciously welcomed and exposed to various art forms from around Europe. While in Venice we also had the opportunity to perform at the Scuola Navale Militare, a high school level prep program for the Italian Naval Academy. There, we were treated to a tour of the school and dined with students. Before performing, we gave a brief presentation about the Coast Guard, the Academy, and the opportunities that await us as Coast Guard Officers.


Standing in the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), in the heart of Venice the cadet chorale group performed an impromptu concert.
Pictured in the background are the Basillica of St. Mark, and the Palazzo Ducale. Photo by uscgapress

From Venice we traveled by train to the Tuscany region of Italy where we are spending the remainder of the week. Yesterday we performed at an event arranged by the US Consulate in Florence in honor of the birthday of Florentine explorer - and the namesake of the "Americas" Amerigo Vespucci. Yesterday's event, which marked the anniversary of Vespucci's birth, precedes several celebrations that are intended to fortify relations between Florence and the Americas. Last night, we performed at the St. James Episcopal Church bringing patriotic melodies and traditional tunes to fellow Americans and English speaking natives living in Florence.

Today, we will travel to the Academia Navale (the Italian Naval Academy) in Livorno, where we will spend the afternoon interacting with Italian Midshipmen in a variety of sports and activities. To end our week long adventure on a high note, we will then perform alongside the Italian Naval Academys band in an evening concert for the Italian Midshipmen and assembled dignitaries from around the region.

The Cadet Chorale is a group of Cadets selected from the Cadet Glee Club. Comprised of all classes, we spent countless hours practicing and preparing to represent the Academy, the Coast Guard, and the United States during our time in Italy. We are looking forward to the rest of our time abroad and to returning home to share our many cultural and professional experiences we have been so fortunate to experience during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

[KP13Mom]

How cool is that!

[robin820]

Thanks for posting this article and picture. My son, Class of 2012, was one of the cadets who traveled to Italy on this trip!
He had a great time. I have seen several other great pictures from many of the sites they visited.
One thing,among many, that I give CGA kudos for is the amount of travel that the cadets get to experience in their 4 years at the Academy! They really become world travelers!
Thanks Again!

[zfam]

When son came home for spring break I happened to ask 'what's your roommate doing?', and he said, 'touring Italy!' Made the beach seem a little pale by comparison.
What a wonderful opportunity for a great group of young men & women. Glad they got to go, sing and enjoy! Thanks for posting.

[sprog]

That's cool. I was in the glee club at VMI, and I think the most exotic place we went to was Scranton, PA. I take that back, there was one trip to Pensacola. Still, Pcola hardly compares to a European Tour. Good on these CGA guys.