Sofia's Story

Sofia received support from the Arts Management Fund, part of the Student Opportunities Fund, which helps students access arts and cultural activities they couldn’t otherwise afford. For Sofia, this funded her touring with the Chamber Choir across Europe.

"During Easter term, I had the exciting opportunity to go on tour to Italy with the Durham University Chamber Choir. As part of the tour, we presented two choral concerts in the cities of Parma and Bologna, performing a range of secular and sacred music learnt throughout the academic year. This tour provided the opportunity to showcase Durham University’s high standard of choral singing on an stage. It was also a time where the choir could consolidate meaningful and long-lasting friendships with each other and with other choral ensembles – in having the chance to perform with the University of Bologna’s Chamber Choir. Our first concert took us to Parma, where we were able to take in some of the beautiful sights before rehearsing at our first venue, Chiesa di San Giovanni. This concert proved a huge success with positive feedback from many audience members. A particular highlight would be performing our encore, 

Our second concert was in Bologna’s Chiesa di San Giovanni in Monte. This was particularly special for the Choir as it entailed a joint 
element with Bolonga University’s amazing Chamber Choir. Following our performance in the second half, we joined forces to perform Surge Illuminare by Michael John Trotta. This was a personal highlight for me as although we had rehearsed together only once, the performance was highly moving and very highly received. Whilst in Bologna, we were also given the opportunity to take in the 
sights. This involved visiting the Basilica di San Petronio and indulging in some of the local cuisine. 

Overall, I had a brilliant time in Italy with the Chamber Choir. Not only was it an invaluable opportunity to technique and practice the repertoire to a greater extent but it also proved invaluable in fostering closer friendships within the choir. This will hopefully 
set the scene for an even more supportive and successful space of choral singing. I am very grateful for the funding received from the Durham Arts Management Fund. Without it, the funding of flights and accommodation would not have been possible, and the 
financial support received allowed my full concentration to be on the singing. Thank you."