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Month: September 2015

Umbra Goes to the Opera

“Che gelida manina, se la lasci riscaldar.

Cercar che giova? Al buio non si trova.

Ma per fortuna una notte di luna,

e qui la luna l’abbiamo vicina.”

–La Bohème

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This past Tuesday evening, Umbra students and staff got all dolled up and attended the opera La Bohème at Perugia’s local Teatro Morlacchi.

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Students attending an opera lecture.

In order for students to fully enjoy and appreciate this cultural experience, Umbra first organized a lecture on opera – and La Bohème in particular  – with Professor (and singer) Antonella Valoroso.  During this class, students explored the history of the art, some background on the famous opera writer Giacomo Puccini, and the plot of La Bohème. Professor Valoroso enlightened students to the fact that Puccini’s La Bohème (1896) was the inspiration for the famous modern musical Rent (1994) by Jonathan Larson and she conducted a comparison using the song “Light my candle”  between characters  Mimi and Roger in Rent with the aria “Che gelida manina” with Mimi and Rodolfo in La Bohème.

Students also had the opportunity to read the translation of the libretto, or the “little book” with the opera lyrics, ahead of time, so that they could comprehend the arias and scenes. In this way, they arrived enthusiastic and prepared for this tragic love story that takes place in Paris amongst a group of poor artist friends.

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Internal view of the Morlacchi theater.

The Umbra audience enjoyed the cultural experience – which comprises the show and the people-watching   – from private opera boxes in the breathtaking and historic Morlacchi theater, which was built in 1780 and has been in use ever since. The company Lirica Sperimentale di Spoleto (which includes the boyfriend of an Umbra staff member) performed the piece beautifully under the direction of Carlo Palleschi and Giorgio Bongiovanni.  

Students Isabela Secanechia, Amanda Fraine, and Rosemary Trenholm walked away from the experience in awe of the performance and opportunity to observe the Italian audience, saying, ” I didn’t know the human body could do that.. they make it look easy to sing opera!”

The Fall 2015 semester is well under way here at Umbra, which means that students are actively participating in various community engagement projects and field trips to solidify the concepts being presented in the classroom.

logo_group-photo_smallOn Friday, Umbra’s Business of Wine class took a day trip to Roccafiore winery to learn more about their semester project and find out what it truly means to be in the wine business. Students were taught about the process of wine making – from the grape to the labeling. They learned the significance of the Sangiovese grape, how modern wineries can support sustainable business practices, as well as how wine is perceived and presented in the global market. This trip was designed to put things in perspective for students who had been discussing winery business practices in the classroom as they prepare their Service Learning Project, a course component that requires students to analyze the winery and propose changes to its logo-students-cooking-smallpromotional and sustainability efforts.

On Saturday, Food and Sustainability Studies Program students enjoyed a cooking class near Assisi. This class was intended to teach the origin of various ingredients and the benefits of home-cooked meals made from scratch; creating not only good food, but also healthy food. The tradition of home-cooked meals, in Italy, is an important aspect of the culture of the Italian family, one which inspires cooking with natural and fresh ingredients and preparing only what is to be consumed during a single meal.

logo_Students_smallAlso on Saturday, the students from the International Business Strategy course visited Pashmere, a luxury, family-owned, fashion company specializing in the production of cashmere knitwear. Students were given a tour of the factory and had the opportunity to meet the owners and ask them several questions regarding their online marketing strategy, the production process, and company traditions. The information they received will be used to complete the course’s final project, through which students will analyze the strategies behind the company’s international operation and formally present their finding to the company owners.

The Umbra Institute Collaborates with Perugia’s Expo Lingue to Promote the European Day of Languages.

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In celebration of the European Day of Languages, September 26th, the Umbra Institute has elected to participate in Perugia’s language festival, Expo Lingue Umbria (September 25th and 26th). Umbra’s participation includes: hosting dozens of mini language lessons and workshops within various Umbra classrooms, presentations made by Umbra language professors, and an English language workshop run by some of this semester’s Umbra students.

This Friday and Saturday, from 9 am to 6 pm, a new language will be presented at Umbra every hour, including English, Farsi, Albanese, Hindi, and many more. Umbra professors Giuliano Agamennoni and Borbala Samu will be presenting during the event. Prof. Agamennoni will be presenting Italian language learning and cultural integration through community engagement, followed by Prof. Samu’s presentation of teaching the Italian language to dyslexic English speakers.  During the early afternoon on Friday, Umbra students will be presenting English to children through interactive conversation and games.

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By the end of this weekend, a number of Umbra students will have witnessed the European prospective on language
 learning and teaching, participated in diverse intercultural exchanges, experienced rewarding fellowship with the local community, and obtained unforgettable intercultural experiences, all without stepping outside of Perugia!

For more information regarding Umbra’s collaboration with Expo Lingue or a full schedule of events, in Italian, go to www.expolingue.it.

Roccafiore-Internship

This past spring, 2015, Michael Madigan took part in the Umbra Institute’s Food & Sustainability Studies Program. Madigan took part in classes, such as Umbra’s Business of Wine course, that revolved around the theme of Food & Sustainability. Despite his Finance and Marketing Major, Madigan quickly developed a fascination for food studies that lead to his participation in Umbra’s Summer 2015 Roccafiore Internship.

 

Roccafiore is an eco-friendly, Umbrian wine producer that boasts a vast international clientele base. The winery’s internship allows students to help with wine tastings and tours, online sales and the management of Roccafiore communications. Through these and other activities, during both the Spring and Summer semesters, Michael Madigan was able to gain not only marketing insight but also a deeper understanding and passion for the wine industry through intensive business, food and environmental studies. “In class we learned about what goes into running a wifood-studies-program-15-classne business, but this hands-on experience taught me so much more,” said Michael Madigan as he described how he aided Roccafiore through his various marketing responsibilities and by helping with the production process.

 

Through a combination of classroom study and the Roccafiore Internship, the goal of Umbra’s Food & Sustainability Studies Program is to encourage students to think about food and ask basic questions about what we eat; where it comes from; is it important if it is local or organic; and the significance of labels – all fundamental questions to life in a globalized world.

 

For more information about Umbra’s Food & Sustainability Studies Program, contact Zack Nowak at [email protected],

Majors-and-Minors

Students at Umbra take advantage of a diverse Study Abroad curriculum that aims to develop competencies for all majors and minors – from Education, Psychology and Art to Business, Hospitality and Environmental Studies. General Studies elective courses are taught in English and offered in the afternoon while mandatory Italian language courses are provided in the morning. Approximately two-thirds of Umbra’s incoming General Studies students take a  Beginner level Italian course while one-third of students participate in Intermediate and Advanced language courses. At Umbra, students learn through experience and direct communication with the Italian community, including Italian university students in the Umbra classrooms, while they participate in courses that engage the local community and aim to develop cultural awareness as well as critical thinking methods.

General Studies students of various disciplines choose to attend Umbra to advance their understanding of the international community. The top 10 most common majors/minors that make up 42.7% of Umbra’s student body and alumni are:

  1.      Psychology
  2.      Communication Studies
  3.      Business
  4.      Italian Language
  5.      Education
  6.      History
  7.      English
  8.      Art Studies
  9.      Economics
  10.  Political Science

Take a look at Umbra’s course list to view ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES available to your students and remember that, on our partner portal, you can always download syllabi.