METM17, Brescia

METM17 in Brescia (Italy) was a watershed moment, as the possibility of a choir performance was called into question by the fact that, with just a few weeks to go, it had not been possible to recruit a local choir leader. However, on the basis that "the show must go on", arrangements for just a single song were prepared by Christina Koch and rehearsals were organized. The day was saved by two musically-minded METM attendees: virtuoso MET member Ruth Simpson as the conductor, with musical input from opera singer Anett Enzman. The outcome was an emotional rendition of Bella ciao (Italian partisan song), preceded by a passionate introduction by Francesca Matteoda in homage to her partigiano and translator father.