A trip of a lifetime for 53 young singers culminated with a rare performance at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, while Emmaus High School Chorale was on a 10-day concert tour of Italy over Holy Week.

Although the Chorale has traveled to Italy in the past, this was the first time the students sang at the Sistine Chapel, known for its ceiling painted by Michelangelo and considered one of the holiest sites in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Chorale performed two songs - “Non Nobis Domine” by Dan Forrest and “Alleluia” by Ronald Staheli - in the iconic chapel, bringing tears to the eyes of many of the parent chaperons.

The moment was a highlight of a trip that featured many amazing highlights.

Chorale director Rita Cortez said Music Celebrations International, through which the tour was arranged, is only allowed to recommend three choirs a year to sing at the Sistine Chapel. Cortez said she also had to send in a recording of the choir performing and a list of repertoire, before being approved.

EHS student Jack McElhenney said it was one of his favorite moments of the trip.

“Being able to sing in the Sistine Chapel right under [Michelangelo’s] ‘Creation of Adam’ meant so much to me because I know that that was an opportunity most choirs didn’t get,” he said. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

EHS Principal Kate Kieres called the performance “the pinnacle of the trip.”

“To perform in such an iconic, historically and artistically rich site was a powerful experience for our students,” Kieres said. “I am certain they will remember it for the rest of their lives.”

Another highlight for the group was singing for Mass at the altar of Saint Joseph in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Easter Monday.

Emeritus Music Director at the Vatican, Monsignor Pablo Colino, who officiated at the service, was so impressed by the Chorale’s rehearsal of “Tu Es Petrus” by Palestrina, that he asked if he could conduct the choir on the piece. Through an interpreter, Colino said he does not usually conduct guest choirs but was moved by the Chorale’s performance on the seldom-done, six-part choral piece.

He also noted the Biblical roots of the name Emmaus during the service and EHS student Sebastian Mora was asked to read scriptures.

The Chorale also performed an Easter concert in the Basilica di Sant Andrea Della Valle in Rome – the basilica made famous in the opera “Tosca” – to a packed house and standing ovation.

Other concerts included one with an Italian singing group at Chiesa Evangelica Metodista in Florence and singing for a Mass in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

However, a trademark of the Chorale is its frequent “street performances.”

“A wonderful thing was the impromptu performances students did, under the direction of Ms. Cortez, on streets and in courtyards at various venues,” Kieres said. “Hundreds of people from all over the world would stop to hear the students sing and it was heartwarming to see how positively they responded to the talent of the students.”

Students performed on the roof of a small church on Monte San Salvatore; in St. Mark’s Square in Venice; in front of a church in Siena; atop Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome under the watchful eyes of the bronze statue of Michael the Archangel and on the streets around St. Peter’s Square.

In San Miniato al Monte, one of the highest points in Florence, the Chorale sang both in the church and overlooking the city, as the church bells pealed.

In picturesque Cinque Terre, the singers performed at the edge of the Mediterranean at sunset, in a restaurant perched on the cliff and at the train station in Vernazza, where their song ended as the Holy Friday traditional procession, dating back to medieval times, passed by.

Whenever they sang crowds gathered to applaud and take video.

There also was plenty of time for sightseeing and the kids saw unforgettable artwork including Michelangelo’s “David” and “Pieta;” as well as historic structures like the Roman Forum, Pantheon and Colosseum and Civita di Bagnoregia, an Etruscan stone city only accessible by a mile long walk across a pedestrian bridge.

They also attended a Papal mass in St. Peter’s Square Easter morning.

For the students, the memories of the special trip will last the rest of their lives.

“Singing in Italy and in the Sistine chapel was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that most people can only dream about,” EHS student Emily Barr said.

The Chorale has sung in some notable venues stateside, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Carnegie Hall and Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Two years ago the group took a concert tour to France and Germany where they sang at Notre-Dame Cathedral, on Normandy Beach and at Sainte-Chapelle.

Cortez says she started taking the Chorale on international concert tours in 2007. The tours take place every other year and the choir also has been to Greece, Switzerland and Czech Republic.