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Music, History and Elizabeth Seton Intersect around the Globe for History Teacher

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This summer, popular Seton History teacher Mr. Zain Shariff sang the role of Don Alfonso in Mozart's comic opera, "Così fan tutte" at the Bethesda Summer Music Festival and traveled to the UK with the City Choir of Washington.

As is a familiar experience to those in the teaching profession, and particularly common with our vast network of Seton Alumnae and fans, in the course of getting to know the participants in the program, Mr. Shariff connected with Seton Alumna Mia Athey, '09. Mr. Shariff sang the role of Don Alfonso, a philosopher with a rather dim view of human nature, and Mia sang the role of Dorabella, one of two sisters who get caught up in Alfonso's schemes. In addition to studying voice at Catholic University, Mia was a production intern and production assistant at the Washington National Opera, taught music at a charter school in DC, and also worked in the Kennedy Center Education Department before heading out to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, one of the premiere music schools for opera in the country, to pursue her Masters of Music in Opera Performance. While their time at Seton did not overlap, Mr. Shariff valued the opportunity to get to engage on a professional level with a Seton Alumna.

While doing the opera, Mr. Shariff was also rehearsing for The City Choir of Washington's UK tour, with whom he started singing in 2009. Beginning in 2012, he transitioned out of singing and into an administrative role with the company, becoming Operations Director in 2014. The UK tour was the first tour organized as a company and since they hired a professional touring company, Classical Movements, to handle all of the major logistics of the tour and performances, Mr. Shariff was able to slip back into the role of performer for the trip.

Of course, though music was at the forefront, history was as important in his summer experiences. The group performed at Gloucester Cathedral, Ely Cathedral, the Chapel at Keble College (part of Oxford University) and at Temple Church in London (where the Knights Templar made their headquarters during the 1200s). They explored Stonehenge and the cities of Bristol, Bath, and Cambridge and toured ancient castles and Roman ruins. Mr Shariff notes, "you can probably imagine that the history teacher in me took no time off, and we were fortunate enough to have a tour guide, Esther Peters, who herself studied history and was a fount of information. I always find it funny that, for Americans, anything over about one hundred years old is considered distant history. There, we ate in pubs that had been operating since the 1660s, and regularly toured buildings with 1000+ -year histories."

While in London, they were also able to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force with a flyover of planes going back to its founding in 1918.

Of his experience, Mr. Shariff says, "In world history, we regularly discuss the importance of transcontinental trade as well as the struggle for control of resources. It was fascinating to engage with England's rich history, which includes both being the target of outside invasions (Romans, Vikings, Norman French) and, later the perpetrator of its own takeovers (the East India Company, colonization in the Americas, Australia, Africa). We looked at how international trade shaped major cities like Bristol and London while internal trade along canals and later railroads stimulated agricultural production in the interior of the country. Britain is also very rich in geological resources, including coal, limestone, chalk, tin, silver, gold, lead and more."

To commemorate his trip, he brought back a small souvenir that encapsulates that history: a Victorian-era silver-plated inkstand with crystal (lead glass) inkwells for his desk at school. An inkstand would have been common on any important desk up through the early 20th century, and the silver and lead glass are, of course, representative of two of England's major natural resources. Our fortunate students will have the opportunity to see this symbol of his trip, just one small way Mr. Shariff seeks to bring history to life in his classroom.



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