Venue Confirmed: Tuesday, June 22, at 7.30 pm Quire of Voyces sings at the Chiesa di S. Maria degli Angeli alle Croci in Naples

Tuesday, June 22, at 7.30 pm the singers of QOV under the direction of Nathan J. Kreitzer are going to perform at the Chiesa di S. Maria degli Angeli alle Croci during their Italy Performance Tour with Incantato.

The Chiesa di S. Maria degli Angeli alle Croci is one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Naples and was constructed by the convent of the Francescani Osservanti in 1581. The beautiful sculptures were built by Cosimo Fanzago (1591-1678), an Italian architect. The facade of the church is decorated with white and gray marble. Two lovely angels are greeting the visitors. They are the work of Fanzago as well. After an earthquake in 1980 the entire structure was restored. The Chiesa di S. Maria degli Angeli alle Croci hosts by the way the grave of the Italian jurist Giuseppe de Gemmis (1734-1812).
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Acoustics of St. Peters

Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome is the largest church in the world, with a volume of 20 million cubic feet. What sort of acoustics can we expect? According to a short study described here, the reverberation time is about 7.5 seconds when the church is empty, and 5 seconds with a large congregation. Nathan commented, "interesting, I thought they were much worse because of the giant space." The study concluded, "The exceptional acoustical properties are due to the multiple coupled air spaces into which the Basilica is divided, and to the diffusion produced by the wealth of architectural detail and sculptural ornament."

- Bruce Kendall

Explore Sorrento with Incantato Tours

Sorrento is a small city in Campania, southern Italy, with about 16,500 inhabitants. The town overlooks the bay of Naples, as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints in the city allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the island of Capri. The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is the narrow road that threads around the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea. Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted famous personalities, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti. Sorrento is famous for agricultural production including citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.

The Italian Weather in June

Dear members of Quire of Voyces,
When you are traveling to Italy this June, the summer has already started. Early June is like May - with weather that is warm but not too hot for sightseeing. Later in the month the temperature can rise steeply, particularly in the south of Italy. June 21 is the longest day of the year, the summer solstice takes place then. The temperatures fluctuate between 60°F and 79°F.

City Facts about Naples

Naples is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music and gastronomy, playing an important role in the country's history and beyond throughout much of its existence, which began more than 2,800 years ago. Naples is located halfway between two volcanic areas, the volcano Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, sitting on the coast by the Gulf of Naples. Founded in the 8th century BC, as a Greek colony, before under the name of Parthenope, and later Neápolis (New City), Naples is one of the oldest cities in the world, and it held an important role in Magna Graecia; while when the city became part of the Roman Republic in the central province of the Empire, was a major cultural center (Virgil is one of the symbol of the political and cultural freedom of Naples). The city has seen a multitude of civilizations come and go, each leaving their mark: now the historic city centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Naples was preeminently the capital city of a kingdom which bore its name from 1282 until 1816 in the form of the Kingdom of Naples, then in union with Sicily it was the capital of the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification. Naples has profoundly influenced many areas of Europe and beyond. The city proper has a population of around 1 million people: Naples is the most densely populated major city in Italy. The city is also synonymous with pizza, which originated in the city. A strong part of Neapolitan culture which has had wide reaching effects is music, including the invention of the romantic guitar and the mandolin as well as strong contributions to opera and folk standards. There are popular characters and figures who have come to symbolise Naples; these include the patron saint of the city Januarius, Pulcinella, and the Sirens from the epic Greek poem the Odyssey.

Sightseeing-Highlight: Pompeii

Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the commune of Pompeii. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under 20 m (66 ft) of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1592. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year.