For David Cochrane'14, participation in the Dickinson-in-Moscow program is not only about studying the Russian language: it is about living Russian culture by immersing himself in the realities of everyday life. For David, this happens through music. Nearly every night he is rehearses and sings with three prestigious choirs: The Great Academic Choir of RSUH, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Choir, and the cathedral’s small early music chamber ensemble where he also co-directs and conducts.

''The week on Thanksgiving night I sang a concert with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception choir," David said. "It was an honor to sing in this beautiful Cathedral, which in my opinion has some of the best acoustics in the world. It is by far the most amazing space that I have ever sung in. The director, Sister Valentina, is an amazing women and musician, and it was a pleasure to ask to be a soloist on her concert and to continue to sing with her every week at mass and in future concerts. As the Advent season has quickly rolled in we have been learning very challenging music very fast, which pushes me out of my comfort zone and is making me a better musician every night!”

Last week in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, David took part in the final grand-concert of the Musical Festival series. He preformed with the Great Academic Choir of RSUH, where he sang the choir part of the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana.”

“It was a blessing to get to sing this opera with these musicians,” David said, “To be able to say I sang with Vladislav Piavko, who is a very famous in Russia and for many years was a lead performer in the Bolshoi Theater, is amazing. I learned so much from this even from just watching every little aspect of how Sergey Kondrashev, the conductor of the Moscow City Philharmonic, ran rehearsals.”

On December 6, Russian students of all levels performed in the annual Russian Department Talent Show. They recited poetry, sang songs from classic films, and wrote and performed skits. Two students currently studying abroad on the Dickinson-in-Moscow program emailed a video of an original song that they had written and performed about life in Moscow in winter. Russian 101 student Barrett Ziegler ‘16 (Russian 101) wrote an original poem, “Love,” which he then translated into Russian and read at the event. Advanced Russian students Abby Preston ‘16 and Sasha Shapiro ‘15 performed a skit that incorporated well-known Russian anecdotes about life in the Soviet Union. Among the Russian Department’s many talented musicians are Caroline Elkin ‘15, Sam Drabkin ‘16, and Caitlin Moriarty ‘13, who performed pieces by Petr Tchaikovsky and others on the oboe, the cello, and the violin, respectively. 

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Students from a variety of universities took part in the VI annual Model United Nations, held at the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow this month. As part of this role-playing conference, students gained valuable experience in public speaking and the preparation of official documents concerning important policy and humanitarian issues. Chase Philpot '14, who is currently spending the year abroad on the Dickinson-in-Moscow program, took part in one particular meeting modeled after the Historical Security Council of September 12, 2001. The theme of this meeting was “Terrorist Threats to International Peace and Security.”

“It was an interesting experience being the only native English speaker in the room, especially representing the Russian Federation surrounded by Russians,” remarked Chase Philpot. 

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Students from a variety of universities come together to discuss big issues in the world today. 

 
Peter Sission '14 excitedly prepares for Thanksgiving Dinner in Moscow! 

 Dickinson students in Moscow were able to uphold the annual American tradition of coming together and remembering to be thankful while becoming accustomed to a regular way of life in a foreign land. They invited some Russian friends and other students studying Russian at RSUH, and in a tiny Moscow kitchen they cooked turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving food.

 Kirsten Brents’14 “I find it funny, yet impressive how we successfully cooked a thanksgiving dinner at the last minute. Then threw it in bags and ate the next day on the train to Volgograd, because the day we traveled was the actual Thanksgiving Day. The small table in our compartment was full of food, and Russians seeing all these food probably couldn’t believe that we could eat so much… ”

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Dickinson-in-Moscow students in front of the Motherland Statue.

 The Motherland Statue in Volgograd.

This past weekend Dickinson-in-Moscow students (and two students from Holy Cross College) traveled to Volgograd, formerly named Stalingrad. As they learned the history of Volgograd from the 16th century to modern days, they paid particularly attention to the history behind the Battle of Stalingrad.
As Peter Sisson’14 recounts, “We went to the Panorama and Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad. Our tour guide Alexandra was very enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. On the top floor of the museum there was a huge panorama depicting all of the various stages of the battle, from the initial German attack to the Soviet counters attack and victory. The panorama highlighted the acts of heroism by the soviet army soldiers, such as how one soldier crawled through the fire and connected a telegraph line with his teeth.”
The best part of the trip for Kirsten Brents’14 was going to Mamaev Hill and seeing the statue of the Motherland. “It was absolutely breathtaking,” she says, “When you are walking up there you realize how big the statue is and how much the victory of Stalingrad means to the Russian people. I also found it interesting to watch the Honor Guard do its regular drill and ceremony. Guarding the memorials at Mamaev Hill is very serious and honorable job for these young Russian soldiers.” 

Chase Philpot '14 lays under a tank during a day out in Volgograd.

 Peter Sisson '14 poses as Lenin.