Sophia Zhang ‘28 traveled to Italy with the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus over winter break and sang at multiple major basilicas, even receiving a papal blessing from Pope Leo XIV.
Zhang first discovered her love for singing when she moved from China to Miami at the age of four. “I had an interest in piano, and I was mumbling songs at home that I heard from the parties in Miami,” Zhang said. Her dad saw an ad for piano lessons and decided to sign her up.
Chosen four years ago by Chorus President Darren Dailey for the Touring Choir, Zhang travels with the prestigious chorus group out of the country multiple times a year to perform around the globe. “If he sees potential that you can handle yourself outside of the country, and you have musical talent, you can move up.” Zhang qualified in every front, and so she joined the Touring Choir.
The JCC performed at many of the major basilicas around Italy in honor of the Jubilee Year in Catholicism, which occurs every 25 years. They spent time in Vatican City, Florence, and Assisi. To honor the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope,” Zhang and her choirmates sang Ave Maria, chants, and Lauda, a sacred song in Italian. The chorus’s accompanist, who studies foreign languages, helped the choir with pronunciation when singing in Italian.
Zhang noticed the basilicas had very different acoustics than the performing arts centers in Jacksonville due to the massive height and space inside. “It’s a very special thing to get to sing in a place that you know the history of.” Zhang also admired the inside of the cathedrals. “Of course, the architecture was important and really amazing, but I like seeing all the details within.” One of her favorite sights was the Chair of Saint Peter by Bernini in St. Peter’s Basilica. “I felt the spirit with me.”
While at the Vatican, Zhang’s chorus knew that the Pope would visit St. Peter’s Square to bless the Crèche on New Year’s Eve. They waited at the barricades toward the front of the nativity scene and began singing when the Pope walked past them. “By the time we were up there and I saw him blessing the nativity scene, I thought, ‘It’s happening. It’s real.’”
The JCC only realized the Pope blessed the chorus when rewatching a video taken of their performance. One of the parents noticed the Pope mumbling a prayer and showed the rest of the group. “My heart skipped a beat. It was so jarring. I didn’t see it happen, but going back to the recording and seeing him do that gave me chills.”
Along with being blessed by the Pope, some of Zhang’s favorite memories from the trip include spending time with her choirmates, touring the sanctuaries, learning history, and “eating pasta three times a day.”
While at the airport after the trip, the JCC gathered for one of their traditional debriefs to review how the tour went. One thing the group appreciated most about this trip was the time they took to go tour the different cities. “We had our own tour guide who followed us everywhere. She explained the culture, and not just religious aspects but also the economy and politics. We felt like we could relate with Italian culture a lot more.”
Zhang most enjoyed how Italians “talk with their hands and are really expressive. I enjoy when people inflect tones in their voices.” She also found it funny how everyone recognized the group as Americans. “We had a tour guide in Florence, and for all the parents who didn’t understand, he translated what he explained about the art and culture into football terms. It was super funny.”
Looking back on the trip, Zhang is grateful for the opportunity to sing abroad and represent her community. “Being able to show the importance of music and the arts is something I try to prioritize because music is something that is shared. In music, as long as you have a passion for it and you keep training, you will most probably be able to do what you want to do.”
