Easter Course 2009 - Assisi

Bank Holiday Easter Monday 13th - 19th April 2009

The RSCM Millennium Youth Choir Easter Course takes the form of a choral pilgrimage to the mediaeval city of Assisi, the birthplace of St Francis and one of the world’s most important historical and spiritual centres.

Assisi is situated in the heart of Italy in the province of Umbria, a region celebrated for its landscape of mountains, wooded hillsides and wide open valleys.

From this spectacular and exquisitely beautiful setting, the choir will be broadcasting services on the BBC to the UK and around the world. The trip will be documented on the BBC website and singers will be invited to contribute to a BBC blog about the pilgrimage. We will be recording from some of the most famous buildings in Assisi and the surrounding area, including some that rarely accept visiting choirs.

In addition to recording services and giving a concert in the Upper Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, there will be plenty of time for relaxation and exploring the city .

Accommodation on a half-board basis at the S Giacomo hotel within the city walls.

Click here to download the brochure about the course

RSCM staff

Conductor David Ogden
Vocal coach Hilary Llystyn Jones
Organist Daniel Moult

Course fee and how to book

The course fee is £499 which includes return flights and taxes, transfers to and from Assisi, guided visit of the basilica and town and a day visit to La Verna in the Umbrian mountains.
Not included:
• Travel insurance.
• Lunches
• Excursions out of Assisi, except the day visit to La Verna.

Deposit and travel insurance

We require a deposit of £120 as soon as possible to secure your place. Please fill in the booking form, taking particular care to give your full name EXACTLY as it appears on the passport. These details are used to book the flights, and if the name on your passport is different, the airline charges £70 to change it.

It is vital that you have travel insurance, and the sooner you take it out, the sooner you are covered. There are plenty of places to get low cost cover - try Boots Travel Insurance, the Post Office, and Endsleigh for starters, which all offer individual policies for between £10 and £20. Check in case you're already covered on a family or individual annual policy. We need you to fill in the details of your travel insurance on the booking form.

Terms & conditions

Please read Terms & Conditions of booking

Booking form

Click on the booking form to download a pdf

Outline itinerary

Easter Monday 13th April (Bank Holiday)
Fly to Italy, probably from Stansted
Afternoon rehearsal in Assisi
Record Tuesday Radio 4 Daily service
Evening free

Tuesday 14th
Rehearse and record Wednesday’s Radio 4 Daily Service
Guided tour of Basilica
Evening free

Wednesday 15th
Rehearse and record Thursday’s Daily Service
Day trip to La Verna

Thursday 16th
Rehearsals
Record Radio 3 Choral Evensong

Friday 17th
Live broadcast of Daily Service
Record Radio 2 Sunday Half Hour
9pm Concert in Upper Basilica, Assisi

Saturday 18th
Rehearsal for Sunday worship
Party

Sunday 19th
8.10am Live Radio 4 broadcast of Sunday Worship
Fly back to UK

Supporters' trip

Alongside the Millennium Youth Choir’s trip, Pax Travel is offering places on a supporters’ trip for friends and family of the singers, BBC listeners and RSCM members.

The itinerary for this tour follows in the footsteps of the choir tour allowing participants to hear the choir recording broadcasts and in concert, but accommodation is in a different guesthouse just outside the town walls of Assisi, so the two tours are distinctively separate and will not be in each other's pockets! Places on this trip are limited to 32.

Click on the supporters' trip brochure on the left for details of the itinerary, accommodation, meals and cost - places should be booked direct with Pax Travel by phoning 020 7485 3003, quoting ‘RSCM’.