After a 5:30am start we finally arrived in Venice, all in one piece and with a great sense of excitement. We checked in at the Hotel Elite (which thankfully has a piano for rehearsals!) and then headed into Mestre for the first pizza of the tour. Italian pizza really does live up to our expectations! The boys then enjoyed some down time in their rooms, where they have already made themselves very comfortable... and in some cases very messy!

Then it was down to business with a rehearsal, which started with a good vocal warm-up to blow those Easter cobwebs (and eggs) away. We then sang through all of the pieces in preparation for our first concert in St George’s Anglican Church. We are working on power and projection; it is hard to believe that 12 boys can make such a big sound! They are doing very well indeed. We entertained the guests in the foyer, who caught the end of our rehearsal of Mozart’s Ave Verum.

After some more ‘down time’ we headed into Venice for the first time for dinner, warmed by the beautiful early evening sun and grinning with the thoughts of the week ahead!

Lights out for a big Day 2! First concert ahead, with the European premiere of Richard Bates' Holy Is The True Light. Stay tuned for more...