On March 30, more than 100 students, family members, and friends of the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra (HYSO) left Rochester for a weeklong tour to Italy, with performances in Rome and Cremona during spring break week. The trip included visits to historic and cultural sites in Vatican City, Florence, Pisa, and Milan.
The morning before they left, Chris Lopez of Good Day Rochester (13 WHAM ABC) stopped by Hochstein to talk with HYSO Director Casey Springstead, HYSO Manager Ruth Gates, and HYSO members Joanna Frank, Gillian Vit, Gabe Kulick, and Ella Belculfine. Everyone arrived at 6:00 am to prepare for multiple TV interviews in different parts of the building. Chris was a great host and put everyone at ease before their interview, and even played the piano in the Hilda D. Taylor Recital Hall.
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You can view all the Good Day Rochester interviews in this YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3PloRMVZQI
During the tour, HYSO Director Casey Springstead and others posted photos and updates on a special Facebook group for the tour. Some of the photos have now been uploaded to a Flickr album for your viewing pleasure, which you can access with this link – https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBmDNK – or view the player below (click on the arrow at right to scroll through the photos).
You can also read a travelogue from Casey below.
Travelogue from Casey Springstead
View more on the Hochstein Facebook event.
· March 31, 12:22 pm
We've made it to Rome! Heading to our hotel and dinner before a much needed rest. More soon!
· April 1, 3:11 pm
After a good night’s rest (most of us probably need one more tonight to feel closer to normal), we embarked on our first sight-seeing of this tour. We went to The Colosseum and Forum and we were fascinated not only by the history but also by the cleverness of the Romans in nearly every aspect of their 1000 year reign. From infrastructure (50000 miles of roads all over Europe, how the Colosseum was designed to release nearly 50000 people in under 30 minutes, the amazing aqueducts), to design (the craftsmanship of their architecture, statuary, and other art forms and how they were designed for durability, symmetry, and beauty), to their early forms of self-rule and democracy, it was obvious from our local guides’ presentations that today’s Romans admire their forebears and are very eager to preserve what is left.
From there, we sought lunch and a place to sit down after a long morning of walking. Many of us found pizza and gelato and discovered superb examples of both. After we filled our stomachs, we headed to the Spanish Steps, named for the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See (Vatican City). The crowds were building, so we moved carefully from there to Trevi Fountain (gorgeous, but MOBBED with people, even in the rain that had started). Then, a quick visit to The Pantheon followed by the larger and less congested Piazza Navona and Sant’Agnese in Agone, a beautiful church with incredible frescoes and sculpture. By now, the rain was pretty steady and many of us were soaked through. We were all eager to walk to our bus and get some dinner at a nearby restaurant. We enjoyed manicotti, pork and cabbage, and panna cotta for dessert.
We’re back at the hotel as I finish writing, and everyone is putting on dry clothes, relaxing, and preparing for our day tomorrow. More sight-seeing in the morning, including the Vatican, followed by our first concert in the late afternoon. Check back here Tuesday evening, and tour participants, don’t forget to post your photos in the HYSO Italy Tour Facebook event!
· April 2, 4:29 pm
We had an early start to arrive for our timed tickets to Vatican City. It was worth the hurry because we saw exquisite sculpture, tapestries, mosaics, and more in the Vatican Museum. Everything was stunning, but because there was so much to see, it became almost overwhelming. As we left the Museum, we headed to one of the most famous rooms in the world, the Sistine Chapel. It did not disappoint. Seeing the amazingly detailed images in the hand of Michelangelo was very moving. While we were not allowed to take photos, we were in a space with tremendous history and immense beauty that will last in our memories for some time.
After the Chapel, we moved to St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest cathedrals in the world and the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. We viewed incredible sculpture (including Michelangelo’s Pieta), mosaics so detailed and rich in color that they looked like paintings, and the resting places of former popes (now saints). Many of us could have spent hours there. One thing we were not fully prepared for were the crowds. It was a literal sea of humanity in Vatican City and we couldn’t believe how many people were waiting in line. Luckily, we had guided tour tickets that moved us right on through.
From there, a quick lunch and then off to our concert venue at St. Paul’s Within The Walls church. It was a beautiful space with seating for about 250 people. We filled all of the seats and then some! The HYSO musicians played so well and with such maturity. That poise was necessary due to the reverberant nature of the space. It’s fun to hear the huge sound and echos that result in a hall such as this, but it can make our ability to play together more tricky. I was very proud of how they handled themselves tonight, and as I told them, we made a lot of people happy tonight. Our chaperones and adults accepted many kind compliments on their behalf.
From there a tasty dinner a few blocks away: caprese salad, a terrific lasagna, and tiramisu for dessert. We’re back at the hotel now and (hopefully) packing a bit before our departure from Rome tomorrow. It’s been a tremendous visit that we’ll remember for a long time. On to Florence!
A reminder to any tour participants who read this….don’t forget to upload your photos to the HYSO Italy Tour Facebook event!
· April 3, 4:49 pm
We started off with another delicious breakfast at our Rome hotel and then drove about 4 hours to Florence. On the way, we encountered very typical European rest stops, complete with full gift shops, hot food served buffet-style, and more chocolate than you could possibly choose from. Once we arrived in Florence, we immediately met up with tour guides who took us first to the Accademia Gallery, home of many works from antiquity, but most importantly, Michelangelo’s David. Like the Sistine Chapel, this was another work that is so iconic as to be unreal in person. Many of us did not realize how tall he is (17 ft)! From there, our guides took us through the streets of Florence to view the magnificently ornate Duomo di Firenze (Florence Cathedral), Piazza Della Signoria (a marvelous outdoor sculpture display in a busy public square), and finally the Piazza di Santa Croce (another square with shops and a basilica that is the resting place of Dante Alghieri, Machiavelli, Galileo, and the composer, Giacchino Rossini). Before heading to our hotel, we stopped at a beautiful overlook of Florence for photos. It was the perfect way to say arrivederci to Florence.
Another hour’s drive brought us to Montecatini Terme and our charming, old-school hotel that uses actual keys to secure our room! We had a lovely dinner of various salads, beef with potatoes and carrots, and a delicious chilled crème dessert. We’re winding down now with room checks coming soon. Tomorrow, we’re off to Pisa and then Cremona, site of our final performances. More soon!
· April 4, 4:24 pm
We left Montecatini Terme and drove a little over an hour to Pisa, home not just to the iconic yet slightly flawed tower, but also to a beautiful church campus and a charming town. First, we had a guided tour of the baptistry, a large round building separate from the cathedral where one had to be baptized before entering the cathedral (which is why it’s not attached to the church; we saw something similar in Florence at that city’s Duomo). Some of us climbed the steps to view the baptismal font from about 30 feet above. From there, we went to the beautiful and unique cathedral, decorated with typical Romanesque architecture of the time as well as with some Byzantine influences. As with many Italian historic structures, the cathedral used some recycled marble, and in one end of the Cathedral, you can see mismatched columns and large blocks with chiseled inscriptions from their previous use. The highlights of both buildings were the marvelously ornate pulpits, carved in relief out of marble.
Of course, our next step was to take photos of the Tower of Pisa. It was built as a bell-tower for the Cathedral and is still in use. You can climb to the top, and I’m told the stairs are a little disorienting because of the tilt. We also learned that in the early 1990s, they removed soil from the obtuse angle of the tower to help it settle a bit more upright. You can guess that the locals didn’t want it to be TOO straight so as not to lose out on their tourism dollars!
We had lunch on our own in Pisa and did some shopping. We then boarded our buses for a three-hour drive to Cremona, not by our usual rosters, but by the hotels we are staying in tonight and tomorrow night. No one hotel in Cremona can fit us all, so we stay in two hotels a short distance from each other. Before settling in, we had another delicious dinner at a local restaurant: cured meats and puffed bread; boar knuckle! (many of the kids enjoyed it, but one wonders if they would have if they knew what it was called); and a delicious meringue and cream dessert. We walked back to our hotels, briefly stopping by Cremona’s spectacular cathedral and its clock tower, started in 1107 and finished in 1491. It was beautifully lit and was a perfect end to our memorable day.
Tomorrow, we perform a concert for area high school students in the morning as well as a full concert in the evening, just a few blocks away at the Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli. Our “advance team” has already seen it and said we are in for a real treat. Thanks for reading, and much more tomorrow!
· April 5, 5:51 pm
Today was a long but fulfilling day of performing with a little touring mixed in. We started the day by walking directly to the beautiful Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli here in Cremona. Originally built in 1747 and modeled after La Scala (which we see tomorrow!), it burned down in 1806 and the present theatre was opened in 1808. The stage is pitched slightly from back to front (useful for viewing staged productions) and took a little getting used to, but we found ourselves distracted by the beautiful tiered balconies and rich red velvet and gold trimmings.
Our first performance of the day was for area middle schoolers (which Italians call “high schoolers”). We held an open rehearsal, and through a translator, I described what we were working on and how we were polishing our performance for them and for the evening concert. Next, we opened it up for questions from the school kids, and their questions were wonderful: “How are you accepted for your orchestra?” “How long does it take to become an accomplished musician?” “How often and for how long do you practice?” “What adjectives describe why you are a musician?” Finally, we performed three of our works for about 30 minutes. They were a very poised and patient audience and they were appreciative of our performance.
Next, lunch and then a brief tour of the Cremona Duomo followed by a visit to the Museo del Violino just a block away. Cremona is a hub of stringed instrument craftspeople, the most famous of whom are Amati, Guarneri, and of course, Stradivari. We learned a bit about how the instruments are made and we viewed priceless violins, violas, and celli made by the aforementioned luthiers and others. We were even treated to a private recital by a violinist performing on a Stradivarius. We were all very impressed by the rich sound that projected to all corners of the recital hall.
After dinner at a nearby restaurant, we walked back to the Teatro Ponchielli and prepared for our evening concert. Despite being tired after a long day and long week, the students performed beautifully and with tremendous poise and tenacity. Our audience of nearly 1000 people (!) was very enthusiastic and gave us a chance to perform our encore.
We’re back at the hotel now and hopefully on our way to a well-deserved slumber. Off to Milan tomorrow, our final touring day before departing on Sunday. If any of our tour participants read this, please upload any photos or videos of the concert to the event since I wasn’t able to do so myself. More tomorrow!
· April 6, 2:41 pm
We made our way from Cremona to Milan, only about 90 minutes away. After walking a bit to get to our meeting spot, we dispersed and explored the various shops and eateries near Milan's famous Duomo. While we did not go inside, it is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, and like many of these large European cathedrals, it is always being repaired or refurbished. Milan is an international home of fashion, so you can imagine some of the brands and stores that we saw: Gucci, Ferragamo, Dolce and Gabbana, etc. While most of what they were selling was out of our price range, many of us found some smaller but meaningful gifts for ourselves or friends and family.
After shopping and lunch, we joined our local tour guides for a walking tour of the Center city of Milan. We learned a bit more about the Duomo, visited the world famous opera house, La Scala, toured Milan's ancient castle (complete with feral cats in the empty, grassy moats; they are fed by the municipality), and finally back to a terrific pizza restaurant.
We are back on the buses and driving to our hotel near the Milan airport. We'll have a brief meeting tonight to offer some thank-yous and celebrate another successful trip before heading to bed. It will be a short night as we all have early wake-up calls to catch our flights. Some of us head to Toronto via Paris, and others via London. We'll post updates of our travels home as we can. Fingers crossed for low traffic at the Canadian border, especially considering the eclipse!
Thank you for reading these posts, and I hope it's given you the closest thing to traveling with us without actually being here. It's been a truly wonderful experience for students and adults alike, and I couldn't be prouder of our musicians for their poise and maturity on such a big tour.
Now....where should we go in 2026?
· April 7, 10:43 pm
And we're home! Thanks for following us on our journey! Now... Zzzzz