SCS Touring Choir in the news - Again ; )

Now the SCS Touring Choir is also on the front page of the Gozo News.
The Malta Times printed the following story about the SCS Touring Choir Journey to Malta - enjoy:

"Sing! Kanta! Canta!" is the theme of the 2009 international Performance Tour that brings 43 young singers from Akron, Ohio (USA) toSicily and Malta from June 26 to July 6, 2009.

The SCS Touring Choir is directed by Mrs Arlene Jacobs who has been teaching most of the singers for five or more years as part of the choral training at the Summit Choral Society. The touring choir is the top ensemble of this privately funded non-profit music school and for many of the girls and boys, the journey abroad is also their departure from the program as they graduate high school and leave home for college.

The choir toured China, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic in recent years .

"Originally the group wanted to go to Greece, but it didn't take long to change their mind and bring them to Malta - I just had to tell them about my experiences, the wonderful people and show them how stunningly beautiful the islands and venues are" said Sandra Weinacht, founder of Incantato Tours, a US-based boutique performance tour company. She was here as part of the first school exchange between Germany and the Malta in 1990.

The choir brings a repertoire of classical and modern works from European and American composers and also an original composition written especially for the journey to the islands by American composer Dorn Younger who will be joining the choir on tour. When collaboration with Schola Cantorum Jubilate of Gozo emerged, the American singers added a composition by Maltese composer Paul Portelli to their repertoire.

After three concerts in Sicily, the SCS Touring Choir arrives in Malta on July 1 and is going to be the featured guest choir for Mass and a benefit concert to aid the Richmond Foundation at St. Helen's Church in Birkirkara (6:30 pm). On July 2 in the afternoon, the American students will be visiting the Johann Strauss Music School in Valetta for a meeting with members of the school choir and staff.

Gozo is the destination for the singers on Friday, July 3. After sightseeing in the morning, the choir heads to the National Shrine of Ta' Pinu to meet with members of the Gozitan Schola Cantorum Jubilate.

The choir's last performance will be at St. John's Co-Cathedral on July 4 at 6 pm when the singers are the featured guest choir for Mass.

And here is the link from the Malta Time if you would like to see it online: http://www.timesofmalta.com/life/view/20090624/features/american-choir-for-malta-tour

And the GozoNews article: http://gozonews.com/featured/sing-kanta-canta-us-choir-to-visit-gozo-in-july/

SCS Touring Choir Concert in collaboration with Schola Cantorum Jubilate at Ta' Pinu Basilica on July 3 at 7:30 pm

The Summit Choral Society's Children Touring Choir from Akron, Ohio is presenting a concert of sacred music benefitting the restoration of the Ta' Pinu National Shrine in Gozo. "Sing!" is the theme of the 2009 Incantato Performance Tour to Sicily and Malta. The simple word "Sing" or "Kanta" in Maltese and "Canta" in Italian sums up the joy of bringing people together through music. The youth choir with 42 voices is directed by Mrs. Arlene Jacobs. The singers present a repertoire of classical and modern works from European and American composers and also an original composition written especially for the journey to the islands by American composer Dorn Younger who will be joining the choir on tour. The concert is organized in collaboration with Schola Cantorum Jubilate from Gozo and thus the American singers added a composition by Maltese composer Paul Portelli to their repertoire. A special highlight will be a clinic with Marouska Attard from Schola Cantorum Jubilate prior to the benefit concert at Ta´ Pinu. Ms. Attard will be singing two soli during the concert and is also going to conduct the American youth when they sing Portelli’s “Jesu dulcis memoria”. The concert starts at 7:30 pm and the entrance is free. Donations are appreciated.

The concert starts at 7:30 pm, the audience is kindly asked to be seated by 7:15 pm.

Ta' Pinu was built in a neo-romantic style which means that the designer rejected or abandoned the use of the devices of avant-garde modernism and followed an older tradition. This is a national shrine and a center of pilgrimages for both the Gozitans and the Maltese as it is told on several accounts that the voice of Mary has been heard from inside. The present church was started in 1920 and consecrated in 1931.

The SCS Concert Postcard is fresh of the press

Incantato Destination - Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village located in the southeaster part of Malta, with a small population of 3,205 people. The village's name comes from marsa, which means "port" and xlokk, which is the local name for "southeast". The bay is memorable for the many decorative "eyed" boats, called luzzus. The painted eyes on the luzzus are believed to protect the boats from the evil eye.

Marsaxlokk is the foremost fishing village and perhaps has the most picturesque seaside in Malta.

Overlooking the northern arm of Marsaxlokk Bay is the hill of Tas-Silg, an archaeological site containg remains of megalithic temples of the Tarzien phase. Bronze Age material was also found scatter around the area.

It is in the "bay of the sirocco" (Xlokk) where the first Phoenicians landed and set up trading posts on Malta, during the ninth century BC. During the Great Siege, Marsaxlokk harbor was also used as an anchor area by the Turkish fleet. Sirocco is related to the name for the dry wind that blows from the Sahara, comparable to the equivalent catalan word, "xaloc".

Incantato Destination - Syracuse

Syracuse, AKA Siracusa is a historic city in southern Sicily known for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheaters, architecture and association to Achimedes. Playing an important role in ancient times as one of the top powers of the Mediterranean world; it is over 2,700 years old. Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Syracuse in the Ionion Sea.

Syracuse was founded by the Ancient Greek Corinthians and became a very powerful city-state. It was allied with Sparta and Corinth, and had strong influence over the entire Magna Grecia area of which made it the most important city. After Palermo surpassed the importance of Syracuse it was named the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily. Later, it united with the Kingdom of Naples which formed the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.

Incantato Destination - Taormina

During the 19th and 20th centuries Taormina became a colony of expatriate artists, writers, and intellectuals. It is said that the paintings of Otto Geleng, a German painter, made Taormina a popular destination. He went to Taormina in search of new subjects to paint but then was so enamored by the landscape that he decided to stay for part of the winter. After his stay in Taormina, he returned to his home in Berlin to exhibit his work. He was accused to having an “unbridled imagination” (uncontrolled). He was upset about this comment and thus challenged these critics to go to Taormina with him, offering to pay for their travels if they still felt he wasn’t painting the truth...

Incantato Destination - Avola

Avola is in the province of Siracusa and has been rebuilt in a modern "grid" after it was destroyed by a terrible earthquake in 1693. According to the Rennaissance design, a large square piazza surrounded by other smaller piazzas marks the heart of a town.

Avola Antica, the ancient city, in the Monte Aquilone district, is of historical interest with the ruins of the medieval city and features that testify to the existence of prehistoric settlements at the site.