Talent can take you anywhere! Eighty-four American high school students are living proof of that. As members of their high school orchestra in New York, these musically tuned youngsters gave the performance of a lifetime from one city to the next throughout Europe. While in Italy, we had the pleasure of hosting them and making sure they were equipped, primed and perfectly prepared for each glittering performance; and they can assure you, their instruments sang like never before...

Who: 84 members of the St. Anthony's High School Orchestra and their proud escorts
What: A ten-day European musical tour from Nice, France, to Salzburg, Austria - with key stops and performances in historical locations in Venice and Lucca, Italy
When: February 15-25, 2006
Where: Beginning in Nice, France, this lucky group of talented students wowed the masses during the masses in various churches and cathedrals. Also enjoying side trips along the way, such as a visit to Pisa, they attended mass inside the impressive Duomo. In Padua, one of their own escorts, a priest from St. Anthony's High School, conducted a special mass in front of the celebrated Saint Anthony's tomb. In Lucca, they performed an impeccable concert to a full audience at the San Romano Auditorium, a previous church built in the 1200's and restored in beautiful Baroque style in the 1600's. In Venice, the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista was the perfect acoustic and aesthetic location for the orchestral performance and again, the students hit all the right notes and left their listeners in awe. While in Venice, they also had the opportunity to visit the Doge Palace in St. Mark's Square, home of the royal family who once governed Venice. Their tour of Europe closed in Salzburg and we're happy to say the students departed feeling very professional, appreciated and eager to return one day to delight future audiences...

Giving a grand performance in Lucca

Right on beat!

Expert conducting

The seats were filled...

and the crowds were pleased