♪♪ ♪♪ >> Hello, and welcome once again to "Youth Music of the World."

Throughout the series, where saluting young American musicians and showcasing their performances at some of Europe's most iconic venues.

In this program, we'll enjoy performances from two historic churches in Rome.

♪♪ The Basilica di San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, but first to Sant'Andrea della Valle, where we'll join the Nebraska Youth Orchestra for Puccini's Intermezzo from "Manon Lescaut."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] >> The Nebraska Youth Orchestra playing Puccini's Intermezzo from "Manon Lescaut" and then "Down a Country Lane" by Aaron Copland.

Our next piece features the West Boca Raton Community High School brass and woodwind choirs playing in the beautiful Basilica Their musical director is Larry Shane.

>> So, we knew it would be very different than we normally do to create these two chamber groups.

And then we talked to the students -- you know, "What are your thoughts?"

They were very excited about it.

Again, a new opportunity, just a chance again to play overseas and do it in a place that we never would normally do.

But I think they rose -- they rose to the challenge, the musical challenge, creating basically two ensembles from scratch in a short amount of time, and I thought they played wonderfully.

So, we have the opportunity to perform in the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, and what an amazing performance venue.

I mean, nothing at all like anything -- I think that building's older than the state of Florida, I believe, has been a state.

So just the acoustics in there and just the artwork and the whole ambiance, incredible.

For sure, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for myself and our students.

And the first night we played just the awe of the sonority and the echo and the acoustics, it was -- we all looked at each other like, "Wow."

>> Here they are with a Tchaikovsky march.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] >> We played in the Basilica of Saint Giovanni, and it was just breathtaking.

We played in there on the very first day, so we were just taking in all of this beauty and all this architecture, the artwork, and not even to mention the -- the acoustics of that building were just phenomenal.

And to think that it had been It was just, like, hard to grasp, so I really enjoyed it.

>> I'd say the favorite piece of music we played was the scherzo we did in our woodwind chamber group.

Fundamentally, I really did like the piece, especially when we first read it.

And playing it in Rome in such a grand place, such as the church we played in, it gave a whole new meaning to it.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] >> The West Boca Raton Community High School with a scherzo from Tchaikovsky.

The visit to Rome is a very special event for the students.

>> I'd say, for me, the best thing about Rome was probably the sightseeing.

We did a lot of sightseeing, from the Colosseum to Vatican City.

I think the favorite place we got to see was the Sistine Chapel.

We looked at Michelangelo's artwork on the ceiling, which was just amazing.

I never thought I would do that in my life.

>> My favorite thing was definitely St. Peter's Basilica.

And getting to see the Vatican and just the Vatican City as a whole was just breathtaking, mind-blowing.

And we even got to -- we had the opportunity to attend a mass.

There was a mass going on, and I was like, "A mass in the Vatican right now?"

It was wild.

It was just stunning.

Looking back, even now, the main thing that comes to my mind is just how grateful I am to have the opportunity to go with my high school band, which contains some of my greatest friends, my greatest relationships.

I just never would have imagined going into high school, that we as, like, a community, would be traveling to Europe.

So just that is the first thing that comes to my mind, how much of an amazing opportunity it was.

And it pushed me to challenge myself more with my instrument and with my playing, too.

So it was just really unforgettable experience.

>> Here they are with some traditional festive music.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] The West Boca Raton Community High School brass and woodwind choirs.

Next, we return to Sant'Andrea della Valle.

Martina Moroni spoke to one of the priests about the history of this remarkable church.

>> The church is nearly four centuries old.

It was constructed in record time.

In 1656, Rome was trapped by a plague.

The city, represented by the Pope and the Senate, made a vow to the Madonna in the church of Santa Maria in Portugal.

Following this vow, Rome was delivered from the plague.

By 1660, the first stone of this church was laid, and in 1662, the building was completed and dedicated to Santa Maria in Portugal.

This dedication is beautifully illustrated in the fresco on the apse, where the Pope offers the completed church to the Madonna in gratitude for freeing Rome from the plague.

>> Once again, here's the Nebraska Youth Orchestra.

This is the third movement of "Dances in the Canebrakes," by Florence Price.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] This time, the Nebraska Youth Orchestra are playing with an Italian choir, Coro Beata Angelico Minerva Roma.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Choir singing in Latin ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Choir singing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] >> That was the final chorus of St. Matthew's Passion, by J.S.

Bach, from the Nebraska Youth Orchestra, joined by the Coro Beata Angelico Minerva Roma in the beautiful church of Sant'Andrea della Valle.

Join us next time for another edition of "Youth Music of the World," with more an iconic European venues.

Thank you for joining us.

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