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The Carthage Choir sang during Mass on Jan. 29, 2018, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Toward the end of an already memorable European study and performance tour, the Carthage Choir leapt at the chance to sing in the world’s largest church.

Tour organizers arranged for the choir to sing for a Jan. 29 Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The basilica is considered both a marvel of Renaissance architecture and, as the burial site of St. Peter, a centerpiece of Catholicism.

“The meaning of the place is beyond any words,” said Professor Eduardo Garcia-Novelli, conductor of the choir.

Music included pieces from Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Gabrieli, Gustav Holst, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Carthage alumna Sarah Bryan Miller ’74 attended the service with a friend while visiting Rome, and the singers impressed her “by their musicianship, and by their professionalism” in a challenging acoustic setting.

“They made me proud to be a Carthage graduate,” continued Ms. Miller, who participated on the choir’s first European tour in 1973.

Titled Music and the Classical Tradition in Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy, the Carthage Symposium consisted of two parts. Professor Ben DeSmidt, who teaches classics and Great Ideas, first gave students a framework for the three countries’ heritage and writings. Then he and Prof. Garcia-Novelli led the group overseas for an immersive J-Term experience.

In all, the 46 participating vocalists performed in 10 concerts and two Masses between Jan. 15 and Feb. 2.