The long and winding road to Oxford University
Music scholar Luca Morgante ’20 finds a way to make his dream come true.
MARCH 5, 2020
Before the pandemic forced schools and performance venues to halt in-person gatherings, Luca Morgante ’20 enjoyed the life of an accomplished music scholar. The award-winning classical pianist, singer, organist and chorister could be found at music competitions, festivals and academies across North America, England and Europe. He had earned scholarships from Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, Boston University and the Eastman School of Music, and had studied at Cambridge University, the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy and the Royal School of Church Music in Bath, England. Though in some ways a quiet and reserved person, Luca has been performing in front of audiences since the age of six, when he joined the Canadian Children’s Opera Company as a member of the Principal Choir. By the age of nine, Luca had become an understudy soloist in a Puccini opera production at the Four Seasons Centre, and had started to compose his own music. His mother, Jennifer Morgante, describes him as a musical polymath. “Luca has loved music and studied it his whole life,” said Jennifer. “With his level of commitment, we suggested he at least complete his RCM Grade 8 piano in order to earn a Grade 12 high school credit, and then carry on beyond that, or not, as he wished. Well, he carried on. By the age of sixteen, he had completed his ARCT level in piano—equivalent to a bachelor’s degree—and an RCM Grade 8 level in voice, both with First Class Honours. And, during his last two years in high school at RSGC, Luca was travelling to Montreal on weekends to train with preeminent voice faculty at McGill University.”
In addition to piano and voice, Luca took up the organ at age 14, often playing during chapel at RSGC. And if his music studies, performances and academics didn’t keep him busy enough, he was also elected Prefect at the end of Grade 11.
As a Prefect, Luca created a program to have a weekly lunch with Grade 4 students and play with them during recess.
“I wanted to make the most of my Grade 12 year,” said Luca. “Adding Prefect duties to my music activities really appealed to me. The final year of high school is a tough one academically and stressful with university applications, but it’s also really exciting and fulfilling. Becoming a Prefect was a part of all that.” While Luca had set up his Grade 12 courses to allow him to pursue science or pre-med at university, he had always dreamed of being an Oxford student. But medicine at Oxford is a distant possibility for international students, so he had his eye on other UK schools as well as some Canadian universities. Then, one August night, he dreamt he was living in Oxford. That re-ignited his desire, and he made a last-minute decision to apply to Oxford and Cambridge universities for academic admission to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Music, and audition for an organ scholarship. Luca was invited to interview at Oxford earlier in the school year. Soon after he returned home, he learned he had been accepted at Somerville College. That made him one of a few RSGC students with a university acceptance in hand from almost the beginning of the Grade 12 year. With his Oxford offer conditional on maintaining an 85 per cent average in each of his courses, Luca actually relaxed a bit with his academics. He spent most of his free time on his extensive music activities and Prefect duties, especially enjoying the program he created to have a weekly lunch with Grade 4 students and play with them during recess. He also set a personal goal to learn every boy’s name in the entire school by June. Luca sailed through the first two terms of Grade 12, very busy but also very much enjoying every “last” school experience, with just a tinge of sadness from knowing that his illustrious tenure at RSGC was soon coming to an end. Then, after March break, life abruptly changed.
MARCH 30, 2020
In the days before the school moved to remote learning, Luca and his classmates experienced a sense of chaos. How would courses proceed? What would the workload be like? How would the new system impact final grades? “Once term actually started, everything was quite organized,” Luca said. “Teachers gathered our feedback and tweaked the courses as the first weeks passed. And then we learned that our February university submission marks would hold for us throughout the term, so long as we continued to work diligently. That took some of the pressure off. It also shifted the emphasis to where all of the Grade 12s needed it to be: to our relationships.” Teachers devoted as much class time as possible to maintaining the social bonds that support learning and a sense of community. After having worked hard throughout high school to do their best and gain admittance to university, the Class of 2020 needed more than assignments and homework in that final term. They needed a social and emotional lifeline. “Grade 12 is the best year of high school, and the last term is supposed to be the best term of the best year. It was hard on all of us to not be in classes and activities together and, at the end, not to have proper goodbyes. Spending time together as friends made it possible to bounce back from the shock and disappointment the pandemic brought.” The school’s approach to graduation also brought the Class of 2020 together, albeit from a distance. Luca has fond memories of seeing Mr. Beatty and his teachers during the drive-by event and of reminiscing with his classmates during the YouTube live stream in the evening. “I was struck by how thoughtful it all was. It was great to hear everyone’s favourite memories and get a chance to express gratitude for great friends and teachers. It was also a bit surreal—not what we had all been looking forward to for years. But the school did everything possible, and I know we’ll all come together for a big celebration when we can. We just have to adapt as we go.” As a musician, Luca also had to adapt to the cancellation of rehearsals, ensemble performances and recitals during the school year and through the summer. That sense of loss was compounded by anxiety over the state of border restrictions and student visas in the UK. Would Oxford open? If so, would international students be permitted to attend? “With the time zone differences, we didn’t think remote learning from Canada would work,” said Jennifer. “Luca had a McGill acceptance as a backup, and that was my preference as a parent. I was worried about him travelling abroad during a pandemic and being so far from home. With all the uncertainty, it was a very angst-ridden summer.” Luca did what he could to maintain balance in his life. He kept in touch with friends online. He took up cycling and rowing, in case he wanted to row at Oxford. And he taught himself the cello.
The Class of 2020 celebrated graduation with a drive-by parade and a YouTube live stream in the evening.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
Finally, in mid-August, the family learned that Oxford would be opening for the year and offering some in-person instruction. In addition, Luca could indeed fly into the UK in September, so long as he served a two-week quarantine. While Jennifer worried about her 17-year-old son moving overseas, she knew that Luca was fulfilling a lifelong dream. Like other international students, Luca arrived before term began at Oxford to endure those two weeks in isolation. He spent day and night in his small room, with only one hour permitted outdoors on the quad for exercise and distant interactions with other quarantined students. His meals were left outside his door. He spent most of his time on his computer and playing a keyboard he had been provided. “The days were long,” said Luca. “It was hard to meet people, though we had some Zoom events. Those two weeks passed really slowly. But they did pass. And then began pandemic life and learning at Oxford.” That learning is a mix of in-person and remote instruction, with Luca living in a “bubble” with 12 other students in his college. They can move freely within their corridor, without masks, and Luca can meet up with the other students in his music program—and the other international students he’d met during quarantine—out on the quad.
OCTOBER 19, 2020
After a few weeks of classes, Luca describes his time at Oxford as “simply amazing.” The tutorial system allows him to meet one-on-one with a different instructor each day, while also attending lectures and rehearsals. Outside of his classes, Luca practices the organ/piano/harpsichord with his college’s choir, does some singing and conducting, and records performances for a weekly broadcast. He has also joined the Oxford Union Debating Society and begun learning how to play polo. “Yes, mounted on horses. I’ve never played before, but I am learning how. Once I’m decent at it, I can join the team,” said Luca. Luca misses his family and friends in Canada. It is unlikely he will be able to return until July, and it may not be possible for his family to visit him or travel together in Europe, as they had planned. He is also anticipating a national lockdown in the coming weeks, as COVID cases continue to rise in the UK. “I do feel a bit isolated,” said Luca. “But at the same time, being immersed in this school and this city is everything I hoped for. It was a strange and sometimes bumpy path to get here, but I’m learning so much. And meeting great people. I wouldn’t trade being here for anything.” He still looks forward to the day that he can celebrate his high school graduation with the rest of the Class of 2020 someday soon.
Luca is happy at Oxford and has met some great people, but he misses his friends and family in Canada.
