Lytham St Annes College pupils’ musical delights in Venice

The six-day visit to Italy by the pupils of Lytham St Annes Technology and Performing Arts College featured two performances in Venice, including one by the college’s 60-strong choir at St Mark’s Basilica.

Later the same evening, the college’s choir and orchestra performed an hour-long concert at the city’s Santa Maria Del Miracoli church.

The previous day, the college pupils performed at the Santuario della Madonna del Frassino, close to where they were stayed at Torbole Nago on Lake Garda.

Several sets of parents and grand parents were at the venues to watch the concerts and the college’s music department head Nathan Spacey said: “We had a great time.”

The college visits European cities every two years for a programme of concerts. The next trip is scheduled to be to Paris in 2021.

The last visit to the French capital by the college’s music students was four years ago, when the itinerary included a performance at Notre Dame Cathedral, which was devastasted by fire on Monday evening.

One college student who performed there in 2015 and saw the TV pictures of the fire just hours after returning fron the Venice trip said: “It’s such a sad sight.”