Cappella Romana

Fall of Constantinople Reviewed in Gramophone

2009-03-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

The CD of Cappella Romana's most popular and critically acclaimed program, The Fall of Constantinople, has received a review in the April 2009 edition of Gramophone magazine. [Link to Cappella Romana's CD Store]

The review hasn't yet appeared in the Gramophone online reviews, but do find it in print at your local music or magazine shop.

The review gives the disc a "G - Star" rating and features a sidebar interview with Dr. Alexander Lingas by Gramophone's Editor, James Inverne.

A few quotations from the review:

"Cappella Romana: when East meets West"
"A captivating recital as Greek Orthodox chant confronts Western Polyphony"
"The meeting between the churches [Greek and Latin] must have been fascinating and that sense of occasion is conveyed here."
"An intriguing new light is shed on Dufay's motets."
"Dufay['s] lament concludes this recital very movingly."
"[a] sense of pleasurable unfamiliarity"

and from the interview:

"Byzantine music has lagged behind other medieval repertoires in the early music movement, so there is a real thrill in discovering music that hasn't been heard for 500 years. Recording the album, our very experienced producer asked, 'Is there more of this?' We said, 'Thousands and thousands of manuscripts, each with many folios. This is a fraction of a percent of the total repertory!' It also means that when we give concerts, that traditional dynamic of presenting a work to an audience is far more fluid - we're still discovering the music, just as they are"
--Dr. Alexander Lingas.

Review of the Concord Ensemble

2009-03-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

The Concord Ensemble's February 28 concert has been reviewed on Portland's Classical Music Blog, Northwest Reverb.

Click here to join the grass-roots campaign to support Cappella Romana's guest presentations (the gift amount doesn't matter; like Obama's campaign, we are looking for high participation with any size gift!)

Events at City University London

2009-03-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Louise Gordon, Concerts Manager, +44 (0) 20 7040 8271, louise.gordon.1@city.ac.uk

City University Brings ‘Voices of Byzantium’ to London

‘robust and intriguing music’—The Washington Post, 2 DEC. 06
‘sung with such strength and commitment’ —Los Angeles Times, 12 DEC. 06

London. [12 February 2009] — In March 2009, the Department of Music at City University London presents ‘VOICES OF BYZANTIUM’, a two-day exploration of the sacred music of the Greek Middle Ages featuring the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Cappella Romana (www.cappellaromana.org). Founding Artistic Director Alexander Lingas, a Senior Lecturer in Music at City University, will first lead the American-based group of six male cantors in a concert of virtuosic medieval Byzantine chant sung amidst the icons of St Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, as well as an afternoon of free events at City University London. ‘Voices of Byzantium’ is supported by the London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange (lcae.org.uk) as part of ‘Byzantium Comes to Britain’, a series of events to accompany the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition ‘Byzantium 330–1453’, which closes on 22 March.

CONCERT: MT SINAI — FRONTIER OF BYZANTIUM
2.45 PM, SATURDAY, 21 MARCH AT ST SOPHIA GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL
Moscow Road, Bayswater London W2 4LQ
Under the resonant dome of London’s St Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Cappella Romana sings virtuoso Byzantine chant from medieval manuscripts held at St Catherine’s Monastery, Mt Sinai, Egypt. Previously presented to sold-out audiences at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles—which commissioned the programme for its exhibition ‘Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai’—and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, this programme features selections from the Vigil for St Catherine and Byzantium’s only liturgical drama: The Service of the Three Children in the Fiery Furnace (see the description below). Tickets are £15 (£10 Concessions), payable at the door. Since capacity is strictly limited, places should be reserved in advance to avoid disappointment. This may be done online at www.city.ac.uk/concerts or by calling 020 7040 8271.

This concert is presented in co-operation with ‘Wonderful Things: Byzantium through its Art’, the 42nd Spring Symposium of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies (http://www.byzantium.ac.uk/frameset_symp42.htm)

FRIDAY, 20 MARCH: ARTISTIC RESIDENCY AT CITY UNIVERSITY
Department of Music Performance Space, College Building, Northampton Square EC1V 0HB.
Free admission, but please reserve places in advance online at www.city.ac.uk/concerts or by calling 020 7040 8271.
1. Workshop (2–4 PM): Byzantine Chant as Early Music and Living Tradition
An exploration of the past and present of Byzantine singing with expert cantors Ioannis Arvanitis (Universities of Copenhagen and Athens) and John Michael Boyer (Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco).

2. Public Lecture (5 PM): The Heavenly Liturgy — Byzantine Psalmody 330–1453
Alexander Lingas leads Cappella Romana in a musically illustrated survey of Byzantine sacred music from its origins in the Late Antique basilicas of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and Jerusalem to its mystical twilight in the monasteries of the Holy Mountain of Athos. This is a reprise of the sold-out lecture that Dr Lingas gave for the Royal Academy of Arts at King’s College, London in November 2008.

THE CONCERT PROGRAMME
Between 548 and 565 the East Roman (Byzantine) emperor Justinian I constructed the Holy Monastery of St. Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai, a place already revered by pilgrims as the site of God’s appearance to Moses in the Burning Bush. Monastic life and pilgrimage have continued through the centuries without significant interruption at St Catherine’s, bestowing on its living community a rich inheritance of spiritual traditions and material treasures, including an invaluable library of over 3,000 manuscripts, many of which contain Byzantine musical notation.
For this concert, we have selected a group of chants from the late 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries edited for modern performance by Ioannis Arvanitis. The program will include works by composer, editor, music theorist and Saint John Koukouzeles (late 13th–early 14th c.), who pioneered a new idiom of ‘beautiful sounding’ (‘kalophonic’) chant that spread quickly throughout the Orthodox world. This style was characterized by vocal virtuosity, the addition of new texts to existing chants (‘troping’), highly florid melodies, and even textless vocalizations on nonsense syllables (‘teretisms’).
The programme begins with medieval chants for Vespers—including psalms, hymns, and doxologies—that would have been sung for the monastery’s feastday of St Catherine of Alexandria, who is commemorated on 25 November. It continues with music from the Service of the Furnace, the only medieval Greek example of a liturgical drama comparable to the Visitatio sepulchri and other such plays of the Latin West. The Service of the Furnace was sung on the Sunday before Christmas, which commemorates Old Testament saints and features the reading of the genealogy of Christ. The Service, which is no longer used in worship, augmented this celebration with a quasi-dramatic rendering of the Song of the Three Children in the Fiery Furnace, a set of canticles found in the Septuagint (Greek) version of the Old Testament book of Daniel. In a fully staged version, the canticles would be sung in alternation between the choirs and three soloists representing the holy youths Ananias, Misael and Azarias (Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego). The three singers would stand on a raised platform representing the furnace, over which an icon of an angel would be lowered at the climactic moment of the angel’s descent to cool the furnace and save the children.
‘Voices of Byzantium’ is supported by the London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange (lcae.org.uk) as part of ‘Byzantium Comes to Britain’, a series of events to accompany the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition Byzantium 330–1453. Additional support is provided by the City Research and Enterprise Unit and the School of Arts of City University London..

CAPPELLA ROMANA
Its performances ‘like jeweled light flooding the space’ (Los Angeles Times), Cappella Romana is a vocal chamber ensemble dedicated to combining passion with scholarship in its exploration of the musical traditions of the Christian East and West, with emphasis on early and contemporary music. Founded in 1991, Cappella Romana’s name refers to the medieval Greek concept of the Roman oikoumene (inhabited world), which embraced Rome and Western Europe, as well as the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople (‘New Rome’) and its Slavic commonwealth. Each program in some way reflects the musical, cultural and spiritual heritage of this ecumenical vision.
Flexible in size according to the demands of the repertory, Cappella Romana is based in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America, where it presents annual concert series in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. It has previously toured in five countries, appearing at such venues as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the J Paul Getty Center, the Pontificio Istituto Orientale in Rome, Princeton University, and Yale University. Cappella Romana has been featured on twelve compact discs, including Byzantium 330–1453 (the official companion CD to the Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition), Byzantium in Rome: Medieval Byzantine Chant from Grottaferrata, The Fall of Constantinople, Richard Toensing—Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ, and The Divine Liturgy in English: The Complete Service in Byzantine Chant. Its 2001 CD Music of Byzantium was produced in cooperation with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and sold over 12,000 copies.  Forthcoming recordings include 15th-century Byzantine and Latin music of Cyprus.
Website: http://www.cappellaromana.org
Photos in digital format available upon request

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Alexander Lingas, Cappella Romana’s founder and artistic director, is a Senior Lecturer in Music at City University in London and a Fellow of the University of Oxford’s European Humanities Research Centre. Formerly Assistant Professor of Music History at Arizona State University’s School of Music, Dr Lingas has also served as a lecturer and advisor for the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies at the University of Cambridge. He has received a number of academic awards, including Fulbright and Onassis grants for musical studies with Lycourgos Angelopoulos, a postdoctoral fellowship from the Canadian government for theological study under Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, and a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship held at St Peter’s College, Oxford. His publications include articles for the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies. He is currently working on a study of Sunday Matins in the Rite of Hagia Sophia for Ashgate and a historical introduction to Byzantine Chant for Yale University Press.

Ioannis Arvanitis, a researcher in Music at the University of Athens, is completing a doctoral thesis for the University of Copenhagen on rhythm in medieval Byzantine music. He has sung with Marcel Pérès and his Ensemble Organum and is a member of the International Musicological Society’s Cantus Planus Study Group, publishing on topics from the tenth to the twentieth centuries AD. Since 2001, Mr Arvanitis has been a frequent collaborator with Cappella Romana, directing the ensemble for two CDs (Epiphany and Byzantium in Rome) and frequently providing it with editions of medieval Byzantine chant. An accomplished performer on various Greek folk instruments (tambura, oud and laouto), Mr Arvanitis has taught at the Experimental Music Gymnasium and Lyceum of Pallini, the School of the Society for the Dissemination of National Music, and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory.

John Michael Boyer was appointed Protopsaltis (First Cantor) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco in 2006, for which he develops educational and performance programs in the liturgical arts as director of its Koukouzelis Institute (www.koukouzelis.org). A graduate in music of the University of California, Berkeley, Mr Boyer is artistic director of the Bay Area-based ensemble The Josquin Singers and associate conductor and assistant director of Bay Area Classical Harmonies. He began learning Byzantine chant with Alexander Lingas and later deepened his knowledge of the tradition with study in Athens under Lycourgos Angelopoulos and Ioannis Arvanitis. He recently coached Chanticleer and the Minnesota Symphony for world première performances and recordings of works by John Tavener, including the Grammy-Award-winning CD Lamentations and Praises. He is the lead adaptor of chants for Cappella Romana’s Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English project.

Contacts:
Louise Gordon, Concerts Manager, School of Arts, City University, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB;
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7040 8271; E-mail louise.gordon.1@city.ac.uk

Mark Powell, Executive Director, Cappella Romana: mobile +1 503-927-9027; msg line +1 503.236.8202; E-mail mark@cappellaromana.org

Program for the Concord Ensemble

2009-02-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

Music for Holy Week from the New World

I.
Vexilla Regis
Gaspar Fernandes after Rodrigo de Ceballos
(Portugal, ca.1565-ca. 1629) and (Spain, c.1525-1581) respectively

Memento Mei Deus
Hernando Franco
(Guatemala and Mexico, 1532-1585)
Peccantem me quotidie

II.

Lamentatio Hieremiae Prophetae
Francisco Lopéz y Capillas
(b. Mexico City, c. 1605-8; d. 1674)

III.
Missa
Anonymous
(Brazil, 16th c.)
Kyrie
Sanctus (Benedictus from T.L. de Victoria’s Missa Quarti toni)
Agnus Dei

IV.
Ego enim accepi
López Capillas

Vadam et circuibo
Tomás Luis de Victoria
(Spain, 1548-1611)

Intermission

V.
Requiem
Juan de Lienas
(Mexico, fl. c. 1617–54)

Pasión según San Mateo
Anonymous
(Mexico, 17th c.)

VI.
Vexilla Regis
T.L. de Victoria

Kontakion on the Nativity reviewed by a POP MUSIC CRITIC!

2009-01-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

Check this out: http://localcut.wweek.com/2009/01/13/furniture-music-2-cappella-romana/

Furniture Music #2: Cappella Romana

January 13th, 2009 [6:11PM] Posted by: Robert Ham

A cappella music is probably as safe a place as any for me to start my year of classical immersion. We’ve all heard music like this—a precise, polyharmonic choir singing songs of devotion to God—in some form before. And as classical music goes, it is a style that goes down the easiest, at least to these ears. Even if you don’t understand the intricacies of the composition, you at least get the message in their lyrics.

So, why did I still feel so daunted when I went to see Cappella Romana recently? Blame the location: An ornate, 83-year-old Catholic church with spotless, gleaming marble floors, 40-foot high ceilings and walls covered in icons and carvings of a martyred Jesus. It would be hard for anyone who didn’t grow up in that denomination to simply ease into this rarefied environment.

This is par for the course for Cappella Romana, a chamber group that has been active for almost 20 years, and who spend most Sundays singing to the devout in churches like this all over the city. They are also active members of the larger musical community, performing in concerts around the country and releasing CDs like the one they were celebrating on this evening, Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ.

Richard Toensing composed this expansive work, using ancient Orthodox texts regarding the birth of Jesus and age-old methods of choral composition to create an expansive and rather haunting work regarding this familiar story. True, the holiday associated with this event had come and gone by the time this performance went down but it was a perfect fit for the Catholic calendar, as by early January, they are just reaching the end of the 12 Days of Christmas. Which helped explain for me the wreaths and red bows that the church was still festooned with.

Christian or not, you’d have to have ice water in your veins to not be moved in some way by CR’s performance. 26 members strong, the group put on a commanding show, wending their voices together into harmonies that ached one minute and roared the next. The power of this long piece was really in the solo sections, particularly Blake Applegate, Aaron Cain and David Stutz’s humble turn as the Magi and the sublime combination of Kari Ferguson and Mark Powell as the Christ child (a soprano and a tenor singing together to emphasize Jesus’ dual nature).

Besides the unique locale, one of the few aspects of this show that I was taken aback by was the sheer precision of the chorus’ vocals. I imagine this is a result of having spent the last few years on a strict diet of American Idol-style histrionics and the throat-shredding antics of any number of rock bands. To hear such clarity of tone and pitch was, frankly, a little chilling at times. It was hard to make myself believe that those sounds were really coming out of the voices of the people in front of me.

As well, if classical music is actually going to have another 50 years of relevance, chances are it will be thanks to groups like Cappella Romana. The majority of the performers were a lot younger than I was anticipating (the mean age had to be no older than 35). I don’t think there will ever be a shortage of people who want to sing (see my American Idol reference above or go to a karaoke bar some Saturday night) but I was happy to see some youthful voices keeping these traditional songs alive, if only for one more night.

Links:
Cappella Romana

Furniture Music Logo by Casey Jarman

Review of Toensing Kontakion in the Seattle PI

2009-01-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

'Kontakion' reflects the old, new

Full text of the article

...

The first half of the program was devoted to carols and hymns of all sizes and attitudes. Most were written in the past century, with texts in English and Greek. Although they may be familiar in Orthodox circles, they are not so known outside that universe. They should be. The variety was admirable and the effect astonishing -- from music of sheer beauty to dramatic amplitude.

None of that would have been possible without the guiding hand of Alexander Lingas, who founded the group in the early 1990s in Portland, then mounted a second season soon after in Seattle. Currently a senior lecturer in music at City University in London, he is a scholar with all sorts of academic studies at prestigious universities in the United States and England. But there is nothing remotely pendantic about his approach.

It is lively and informed, often in difficult waters. The result is singing that is wonderfully blended, accurate in pitch and precise in ensemble. This is music-making on a very high order.

Toensing Kontakion preview in the Seattle PI

2009-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Full text of the article

Toensing's 'Kontakion' gets local debut

By R.M. CAMPBELL
P-I MUSIC CRITIC

From its first days in the early 1990s, Cappella Romana has cut a long, deep swath through music: from the Byzantine empire that ended in 1453 and its Slavic descendants to the modern world.

There are other vocal groups in the United States and Europe singing works of the Byzantine era, Greek Orthodox chants and Russian music, but none that brings together in a single repertory all the diverse traditions linked by the Orthodox faith, said Mark Powell, Cappella Romana's executive director and a veteran member of the ensemble. Thus its rise from modest beginnings in Portland and Capitol Hill to a national and international life with an impressive touring and recording schedule....

Receive "Byzantium 300-1453" FREE when you buy 2 or more CDs

2008-11-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

Your FREE gift with 2 or more

With your order of 2 or more CDs, we will send you a FREE GIFT: a copy of our latest title, "Byzantium: 330-1453," a compilation of Cappella's "Greatest Hits" of Byzantine music.

CDs by Cappella Romana make great gifts.

Choose from among our growing discography, from our latest release for Christmas, "Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ" by Richard Toensing to recordings of medieval Byzantine chant, or our groundbreaking 2-disc set of the Divine Liturgy in English in Byzantine Chant.

Click here to order CDs.

New CD release from the Royal Academy in London

2008-11-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Our Third CD release since July, a "Greatest Hits" compilation

Byzantium: 330-1453
Cappella Romana announces the release of its 11th recording, the official companion CD commissioned for the exhibition, BYZANTIUM: 330-1453, at London’s Royal Academy of Arts (25 October ’08 to 22 March ’08. www.royalacademy.org.uk).

Order the disc here.

Receive this disc as a free gift if you order two or more other CD titles from our online CD store.
The Royal Academy calls this new CD “A glorious collection of choral music which traces the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire, all sung by the world’s leading performers of Byzantine chant, Cappella Romana.”

The new CD, Cappella Romana’s third release in 2008, is a compilation of earlier recordings. It features tracks from Epiphany, Cappella Romana’s first full-length recording of Medieval Byzantine chant, as well as from the CD titles The Fall of Constantinople, Byzantium in Rome, and Music of Byzantium. The disc will initially be available in the UK and Europe exclusively through the Royal Academy.

The Royal Academy of Arts in London is the fourth major world museum to have engaged Cappella Romana for its expertise in Medieval Byzantine Chant, joining these three institutions:

• The Metropolitan Museum in New York (Byzantium: Faith and Power, 2004; with CD selling 12,000 copies)
• The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (Byzantium and the West, 2004 and Icons from Sinai, 2006)
• The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. (In the Beginning: Bibles before the Year 1000, 2006)

The first evening lecture of “Byzantium: 300-1453” was given by Dr. Alexander Lingas, Cappella Romana’s founder and artistic director, on 7 November 2008. Titled “The Heavenly Liturgy: Byzantine Psalmody to 1453, ” it was enhanced by sung demonstrations by Dr. Lingas, Cappella singer John Michael Boyer, and three cantors from Hagia Sophia Cathedral, London.

The Royal Academy’s exhibition has received major press coverage in the UK and throughout the world, including a review and photo essay in Time magazine (Fri., 24 Oct. 2008).

Singing Divine Liturgy at St. George's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Portland (A report)

2008-10-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Cappella Romana members John S. Boyer, David Krueger, Les Green, Mark Powell, John Michael Boyer, LeaAnne DenBeste, Catherine van der Salm, Christina Abdul-Karim, and Jo Routh sang the service of the Divine Liturgy at St. George's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Portland, Oregon, on October 5, 2008.

Byzantine chant in English formed the basis for the service music, the same chants sung on Cappella Romana's recent recording of the Divine Liturgy, complete with the ecstatic setting of the Dynamis, arranged by John Michael Boyer and modeled after the Dynamis by Nileus Kamarados.

The choir also sang a selection of polyphonic works, including setting of the Great Doxology by Fr. Sergei Glagolev, a Cherubic Hymn and "Your Mystic Supper" in English by Tikey Zes.

The church was full, both with regular parishioners and with guests who came as a result of an open invitation sent to Portland-area Cappella Romana patrons and donors, giving the public a chance to experience Orthodox church music in its proper liturgical context.

We hope this pilot project will grow into a somewhat regular schedule of outreach performances and services to broaden Cappella Romana's reach into the community.

Mark Powell
Executive Director

Cappella Romana to sing Divine Liturgy at St. George's Orthodox Church, Portland

2008-09-30T12:48:00.001-07:00

Cappella Romana, Portland's professional vocal ensemble of international acclaim specializing in music of the Orthodox Church, will sing the Divine Liturgy at St. George's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Portland, Oregon, this Sunday, October 5, at 10:00am.

The ensemble will be led by John Michael Boyer, Protopsaltis (Chief Cantor) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco and one of Cappella Romana's principal singers. He is the primary adapter and transcriber of chant in English for the ensemble's latest CD release, Divine Liturgy in English in Byzantine Chant.

Members of Cappella Romana who will be joining us on Sunday are LeaAnne DenBeste (soprano), Catherine van der Salm (soprano), Jo Routh (alto), Les Green (tenor), Mark Powell (tenor and executive director of the ensemble), David Krueger (bass), and John S. Boyer (bass).

John S. Boyer is the father of John Michael and former choir director at St. George's Orthodox Church. Some parishioners may remember John Michael Boyer as an infant, as he was churched at 40 days of age at Saint George's.

Cappella Romana with Neal Stephenson at the Bagdad in Portland

2008-09-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Er, make that Neal "Stepheson." At the Powell's Books reading in Portland, Tuesday, September 16, at the Bagdad Theater.
Cappella Romana singers Mark Powell, Adam Steele, (Neal Stephenson), Paige Baker, David Krueger.

Neal Stephenson loves Byzantine music

2008-09-17T21:05:00.001-07:00

Who would have thought that Neal Stephenson, one of the world's most famous science fiction writers, would be a fan of Cappella Romana? He says his favorite type of chant is Byzantine Chant.

The music accompanying his new novel employs some singers from Cappella Romana. More info here, by its composer, David Stutz.

Living With Music:
A Playlist by Neal Stephenson

By Dwight Garner

{EXCERPT}

* My favorite style of chant is Byzantine, which I learned about by attending concerts by the Portland, Oregon-based group Cappella Romana. The single most powerful piece of music I’ve heard in recent years is the “Lament for the Fall of Constantinople.” Close your eyes and you can almost see the Blachernae Walls crumbling before the onslaught of Sultan Mehmet’s colossal artillery. Cappella Romana have recorded this piece twice; I prefer the somewhat slower and longer version on their album “The Fall of Constantinople.”

Cappella Romana in the New York Review of Books

2008-09-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Cappella Romana and its founder and artistic director Alexander Lingas were lauded in the New York Review of Books this week.

Read the full review [subscription]. Or buy it on the newsstands.

The New York Review of Books, Volume 55, Number 14 · September 25, 2008

Brilliant, Beautiful & Byzantine
By G.W. Bowersock

Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
by Judith Herrin
Princeton University Press, 392 pp., $29.95

[EXCERPT]

"The music of Byzantium, to which Herrin might have considered allotting a chapter, is no less overwhelming than the places in which it is performed. The success of the contemporary Cappella Romana chamber ensemble, ably directed by Alexander Lingas of London, introduces modern listeners to the sounds that filled the churches of Byzantium no less than the light of their lamps."

Cappella Romana completes Finnish Recording sessions

2008-09-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

Cappella Romana has completed another set of sessions for a future CD release, this time of music from the Finnish Orthodox Church. The photo here is from a free recital presented in advance of the sessions on Sunday, September 7, at St. Agatha's Church in Sellwood, Portland.

Dr. Lingas to give lecture for London's Royal Academy: 'Byzantine Psalmody to 1453'

2008-09-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, Byzantium 330-1453:

Dr Alexander Lingas, Senior Lecturer in Music at City University and founder and artistic director of Cappella Romana, will survey the development of liturgical music in Byzantium from its origins in the congregational psalmody of Late Antiquity to the ecstatic compositions of St John Koukouzeles and Manuel Chrysaphes in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A small ensemble of accomplished Byzantine cantors (including Cappella Romana's John Michael Boyer) will musically illustrate the presentation.

7 Nov 2008, 6:30pm, The College Chapel, King's College London, Strand, London WC2

For more information, click here.

Dr. Alexander Lingas returns from London to host ARCTIC LIGHT

2008-09-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Dr. Alexander Lingas returns from London to host
ARCTIC LIGHT: Finnish Orthodox Music
Free Recital & Reception - Sunday, Sept. 7 | YouTube Sample

Thanks to a low-fare flight and a last-minute change in schedule, we're happy to announce that Dr. Alexander Lingas, founder and artistic director of Cappella Romana, will return to the Northwest this weekend.

Dr. Lingas will present his friend and colleague Fr. Ivan Moody in Portland at Sunday's free recital and will host the post-concert reception with patrons and donors.

Sunday, September 7, 4:00 p.m.
St. Agatha's Catholic Church in Sellwood
1430 SE Nehalem Street (at 15th)
Portland RSVP (scroll down to add your name).

Wine & Appetizers to follow:

Hosted by Dr. Alexander Lingas, meet Rev. Dr. Ivan Moody, internationally celebrated composer and conductor (and now Orthodox priest), along with Cappella Romana's extraordinary singers.
Bring your checkbook or credit card to make a gift in support of Cappella Romana's recording of Arctic Light: Finnish Orthodox Music.

PHOTO: Dr. Lingas and Rev. Dr. Moody following Rev. Moody's ordination to the Orthodox priesthood in Lisbon, Portugal, October 7, 2007.

With thanks to the Finlandia Foundation, and the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation, Portland.

Pre concert speakers

2008-05-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

Pre-Concert Talks on CYPRUS | Two speakers:

Dr. Harry Anastasiou (Portland); Dr. Alexander Lingas (Seattle)

Talks are at 7:00pm, prior to the concerts

PORTLAND:

Cyprus: a tapestry of cultures
By Dr. Harry Anastasiou

Dr. Harry Anastasiou will deliver a presentation focusing on the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus from the perspective of its rich and complex history, its multi-cultural influences and its past and present conflicts. While Cyprus is predominantly comprised of 80% Greeks and 18% Turks, its culture, history and struggles is intertwined with a multitude of other cultures and peoples, and with the major events that have marked and shaped Eastern and Western European history.
Dr. Anastasiou will elaborate on these unique features of Cypriot society but will pay particular attention to the protracted Cyprus conflict and the currently unfolding hopes for inter-ethnic peace as Cyprus assumes its place within the regional democracy of the European Union.

SEATTLE:

Greeks and Latins in Medieval Cyprus
By Dr. Alexander Lingas

Cappella Romana's founding Artistic Director Dr. Lingas will discuss the interactions between Greeks and Latins living on the island of Cyprus in the Middle Ages. Beginning when Cyprus was still under the control of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperors, Dr. Lingas will address its conquest by Richard I of England (the Lionhearted) in the 12th century followed by the long reign of the French Lusignan dynasty, who held most of the island until Ottoman forces took Cyprus in 1571.

Arctic Light on Performance Today

2008-04-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

Before we send out our next e-newsletter (about our next live concerts of music from Cyprus), I wanted to let you know that part of our recent program Arctic Light (January 2008) will be broadcast this Friday on the nationally syndicated radio program Performance Today, in honor of Orthodox Holy Week (Orthodox Pascha, or Easter, is this coming Sunday). The program will also be available via streaming for 7 days following the broadcast.

Here is the notice from Performance Today:

This Friday, April 25, 2008, Performance Today will broadcast Cappella Romana’s performance of Pääsiäissunnuntain Iikossi and Pääsiäisen Eksapostilaari by Leonid Bashmakov from St. Mary’s Cathedral January 11, 2008.

American Public Media's Performance Today is broadcast on 250 public radio stations across the country and is heard by about 1.4 million people each week. Each station individually decides what time to air the program. To find out where and when Performance Today is broadcast in your area, please visit performancetoday.publicradio.org.

You may also visit www.publicradiofan.com, an independent website that can point the way to on-line listening. Many radio stations stream their signal on the internet, so it may be possible for you to tune in to a radio station across the country and hear Performance Today by visiting that station's website at the time they air it.

Performance Today is also carried on Sirius Satellite Radio's Symphony Hall Channel (channel 80), Monday through Friday from 1 pm to 2 pm ET. This Friday’s show will be available on our website for seven days. We also archive many interviews, Studio MMW performances, Piano Puzzlers, and other features on our website.

Performance Today

Tudor Choir receives rave review

2008-03-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Tudor Choir's performance in Portland was attended by over 550 people. Here is the first review to appear:

On Northwest Reverb.

Sunday, March 30, 2008
Review: Tudor Choir reaches for the sublime in concert of early music

The Tudor Choir gave an outstanding concert of sacred music from Tudor England and the Sistine Chapel on Saturday evening at St. Mary’s Cathedral. For this concert, the Tudor Choir, under the direction of Doug Fullington, consisted of eleven singers although some of the pieces required fewer. The Seattle-based ensemble, presented by Portland’s Cappella Romana, made excellent use of the cathedral’s opulent acoustics and held the audience spellbound with their vocal artistry.

Most impressive was the extremely well-matched quality of the voices in this ensemble. The transition of tone from singer to singer was absolutely seamless. For example, among the sopranos, it was impossible to tell which one was singing unless you actually looked at them. With so few singers, it is usually easy to distinguish one voice from another, because each voice typically has enough unique character to help reveal who is singing what. Yet The Tudor Choir easily made eight voices sound like four whenever two voices were on a part, and that gave their sound an ethereal quality.

Superb also was the purity of the vocal line. Whether separate or together, the ensemble delivered a smooth, pure, and rounded tone with no vibrato. The tone never sounded harsh or sterile, and the overall effect was entrancing. All of the pieces were sung a capella, and there were no pitch problems at all – a remarkable feat when you consider the difficulty of this music.

The first half of the program consisted of music from Tudor England. The first piece was Loquebantur variis linguis (Speaking in different tongues) by Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585), which is a vespers response to the theme of Pentecost. The music imitates the babble of voices with lots of tricky entrances and clashing harmonics. The Tudor Choir handled this number easily and displayed a near-perfect blend between all of the parts.

The high quality of blend and purity of vocal line was exhibited by the ensemble also in Quemadmodum desiderat cervus (As the deer longs for) by John Taverner (c. 1490-1545), Super flumina Babylonis (By the waters of Babylon) by Philippe de Monte (1521-1603), and in three pieces by William Byrd (1539/40-1623): Miserere mei (Have mercy on me), Quomodo cantabimus conticum Domini (How will we sing the Lord’s song), and Laudibus in sanctis (In holy praises). Here and there the sopranos were too dominant, but their tone was so gorgeous that it didn’t matter.

The second half of the concert began with Allegri’s Miserere mei, Deus, one of the most difficult pieces in the choral repertory because of the repeated high C for the soprano in the quartet. Since this piece was written for two ensembles, the Tudor Choir split in half with five voices in front of the audience and four at our backs.

The soprano did very well with the high Cs, which she hit spot on the first three times. She did a big scoop to get the fourth high C, and she climbed three steps to get the last one. These last two variations were apparently done differently as additional ornamentation. They struck me as a bit odd, but the overall effect of the music was tremendously gratifying and the audience responded with sustained applause.

The final pieces on the program were five works by Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) whose work is seen by musicologists as a summation of Renaissance polyphony. The ensemble sang Palestrina’s Tue es Petrus (You are Peter), Sicut cervus desiderat (As the deer longs for), Alma redemptoris mater (Gracious Mother of the Redeemer), his Magnificat for double choir, and his Nunc Dimittis for double choir. The Tudor Choir performed each of these pieces with grace and clarity. The blend seemed to get better, because the sopranos backed off a little bit and the middle voices came out a little more.

After an extended round of applause, in which it was clear that no one in the audience wanted to leave, The Tudor Choir exquisitely performed Libera Nos, Salva Nos by John Shepherd (1512-1563). Another long round of applause followed, but the listeners were faced with the fact that this splendid concert was finally over. Let’s hope that Tudor Choir makes another visit to Portland in the near future.
Posted by James Bash at 10:29 PM

The Tudor Choir is coming

2008-01-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

This March, The Tudor Choir returns to Portland for the first time in eight years. Check out their program, samples from their recent CD, and ticket information here.

Alexander Lingas and John M. Boyer presenting at the Axion Estin Symposium in New York

2008-01-13T18:32:00.001-08:00

This week, the Axion Estin Foundation is holding its second conference in New York with the title "Building a Byzantine Choir." Both Dr. Alexander Lingas and John M. Boyer will be key contributors to the event.

Dr. Alexander Lingas will be assisting Lycourgos Angelopoulos in his three-day workshop entitled "Building a Byzantine Choir". Dr. Lingas will translate the sessions from Greek to English and offer brief background information if necessary.

John M. Boyer was commissioned by the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians to transcribe all the music scores which will be used in the symposium into western notation and to accompany the original Greek text with English phonetics.

Audio and video of the last symposium may be found here, including a short presentation by Alexander Lingas.

Arctic Light Sells out in Portland

2008-01-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

We're thrilled to report a full sell-out in Portland of our program ARCTIC LIGHT, with nearly 700 in attendance.

If you missed the show, but would like to purchase a CD of some of this music, visit our website for some specially imported CDs of Finnish Orthodox Music.

Friday concert to sell out

2008-01-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

The Portland concert of ARCTIC LIGHT is going to sell out, so we have opened the balcony and transept seating for overflow as required. These seats have an obstructed view.

To have the best experience for Friday night's concert, bear in mind that parking is limited around St. Mary's Cathedral. Please come early, and use the lots within a few blocks of the cathedral. Also, restrooms are limited at St. Mary's, so please consider, for your convenience, using a restroom before arriving at the cathedral.

Arctic Light Dress Rehearsal on YouTube

2008-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Dress rehearsal with Fr. Ivan Moody at St. Mary's Cathedral, Portland, Oregon, January 9, 2008.

Ivan Moody visits music composition class

2008-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

In addition to working with the concert choir, Ivan Moody discussed composition with students from Oregon Episcopal School. The visit was hosted by Adam Steele, singer in Cappella Romana and on the music faculty at Oregon Episcopal School.

Tickets going fast for ARCTIC LIGHT

2008-01-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

There are still a few of the best seats still available for the concerts of Arctic Light: Finnish Orthodox Music, but they are selling quickly.

Order your tickets to ARCTIC LIGHT today at Brown Paper Tickets, 800-838-3006, or online at www.brownpapertickets.com.

More information about Arctic Light.

Fr. Ivan Moody concelebrates at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church

2008-01-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

Fr. Ivan Moody (second from the right) concelebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday morning, January 6, 2008. In addition to serving the liturgy, Fr. Ivan participated in the feast of Theophany, the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan, which culminated in the service of the Blessing of the Water.

Later, during a post-liturgy discussion, Fr. Ivan explained (among other things, such as his home in Portugal and parochial responsibilities there) that he is a composer, and that one of his latest compositions is a Tuba concerto, which seemed to mystify a number of people in the room who perhaps expected that he only wrote music for church services!

Arctic Light rehearsals begin

2008-01-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

Fr. Ivan Moody has arrived from Portugal for a week-long residency with Cappella Romana. Here Fr. Ivan is shown conducting Cappella Romana in rehearsal, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in its new Hellenic American Cultural Center. (http://www.hellenicamericancc.org/)

Cappella Romana (Arctic Light) in the Japanese Press

2008-01-04T18:30:00.001-08:00

Cappella Romana's Arctic Light was picked up by Jen Magazine, shown above.

Messiah performances sell out

2007-12-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

Portland Baroque Orchestra's performances of Handel's Messiah, with Cappella Romana as the chorus, have all sold out (four performances).

The first two performances on Thursday and Friday included Russian Orthodox music by Titov and Bortniansky.

Limited seats are available at the door. More information may be found at http://www.pbo.org.

Cappella Romana in good company

2007-12-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

David Stabler, classical music critic for the Oregonian, mentioned Cappella Romana's concert in November 2007 as one of the highlights of the season, alongside a concert by the David York Ensemble, Trio Mediaeval, and last night's concert of the Tallis Scholars.

Read more

"I can't remember a fall season of such extraordinary choral concerts, from Cappella Romana's premiere of Robert Kyr's rapturous environmental oratorio, "A Time for Life," to the heavenly stillness of David York Ensemble's performance of "Miserere" by Henryk Gorecki, to Trio Mediaeval's Norwegian folk magic, to the elaborately arched beauty of the Tallis Scholars.

Lucky us. "

Arctic Light is coming

2007-11-19T20:00:00.001-08:00

(Now Father) Ivan Moody rehearsing Cappella Romana in January 2006.

ARCTIC LIGHT: FINNISH ORTHODOX MUSIC

Fr. Ivan Moody, guest director

Mikko Sidoroff (b. 1985), Panihida (excerpts), Kerubiveisu
Boris Jakubov (1894-1923), Ehtooveisu (Phos hilaron)
Pekka Attinen (1885-1956), Kerubiveisu no.3
Leonid Bashmakov (b. 1927), Pääsiäissunnuntain Iikossi (Paschal Ikos), Pääsiäisen Eksapostilaari No.2 (Paschal Exaposilarion)
Timo Ruottinen (b. 1947), Pyhä Jumala, Alkupsalmi
Ivan Moody (b. 1964), Te Apostolit...
Peter Mirolybov (Mirola) (1918-2000), Music for the Dormition of the Mother of God

Recorded Samples:
Ruottinen: Psalm 103
Ruottinen: Ehtooveisu (Phos hilaron from Vespers)
Bashmakov: Beatitudes

Sound samples from the CD Oi Jumalansynnyttäjä / O Theotokos Mother of Life, sung by the parish choir of the Tampere Orthodox Church, conducted by Timo Ruottinen (rehearsal pianist was Leonid Bashmakov).

Ivan Moody (recently ordained an Orthodox priest) returns to Portland this January to conduct Finnish choral works never before heard outside Finland that combine shining Northern clarity with Russian sonic richness. Moody is well known for his works for Trio Mediaeval (Words of an Angel, A Lion’s Sleep, and The Troparion of Kassiani), as well as his largest work to date, The Akáthistos Hymn, written for Cappella Romana and released on double CD.

This program of choral works from the Orthodox Church of Finland is led by one of the world’s foremost experts in the repertoire, the Rev. Ivan Moody, recently appointed chairman of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music in Joensuu, Finland.

While Orthodoxy was the earliest form of Christianity to reach Finland, its music was initially drawn from the rich Slavic tradition, subsequently adapted into the Finnish language.

In the 20th century, original works began to be composed in Finnish that drew upon the remarkable Finnish choral tradition, marrying the shining Northern clarity of sound with a sonic richness clearly related to the traditions of Russian choral singing.

Seattle-based singer Maria Männistö, 2007 Finlandia Foundation National Performer of the Year, will be a guest soprano and linguistic coach for the program.

The Orthodox Church in Finland serves the country’s important Orthodox minority, which has existed in the region since the 12th century, despite wars, shifting national borders, and other social upheavals.

The concert will feature a cappella choral works by composers such as Pekka Attinen, Boris Jakubov, Pekka Mirola, Leonid Bashmakov, Timo Ruottinen and the remarkable young 22-year-old composer Mikko Sidoroff. In addition, Ivan Moody’s new Finnish work Te Apostolit will be given its world première.

NEW Double CD | BYZANTIUM IN ROME: Medieval Byzantine Chant from Grottaferrata

2007-11-07T00:21:00.000-08:00

NEW Double CD
BYZANTIUM IN ROME: Medieval Byzantine Chant from Grottaferrata

Click here to order.

Sound samples: Teleutaion Alleluia | Prosomoia for St. Benedict | Kontakion for St. Bartholomew | Communion for Pentecost

This release by Cappella Romana is a breathtaking collection of Medieval Byzantine Chant sung from manuscripts made at the Abbey of Grottaferrata in the suburban hills of Rome, which has operated continuously in the Byzantine rite since its founding before the Great Schism in 1004. During the Middle Ages, Grottaferrata was the site of an important scriptorium, the surviving manuscripts of which bear precious witness to musical repertories sung in Constantinople before the Crusader sack of 1204.

Click here to order.

Led by virtuoso cantor Ioannis Arvanitis, Cappella Romana recaptures on this recording the artistic vibrancy of medieval Italy's Greek minority with ecstatic 13th-century chants. Disc one is devoted to the life and work of the monastery's founders St. Neilos and St. Bartholomew, including kontakia in their honor, and an excerpt of a kanon for St. Benedict that was very likely composed for a Greek-rite all-night vigil at the Benedictine community at Montecassino in Sicily. Disc two features music for Pentecost, beginning with excerpts of its two kanons, the alleluiarion, and the communion verse for the feast. The central work on disc two is the Teleutaion (Final Antiphon) of the kneeling vespers in the medieval cathedral rite, featuring extended psalmody and ecstatic settings of the angelic refrain "Alleluia," foreshadowing the beautified ("kalophonic") chant of St. John Koukouzeles.

The booklet features a substantial essay on the music and its context by musicologist and Cappella Romana artistic director Dr. Alexander Lingas, and complete original texts in Greek with English translations by Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash). Beautiful photography of the Byzantine Abbey of Grottaferrata, taken on Cappella Romana's tour there in May 2006, illustrates the booklet, as well as a sample of medieval Byzantine notation (as opposed to contemporary notation in the received tradition) drawn from the opening verse of the Teleutaion in the Grottaferrata manuscript Psaltikon Ashburnamensis 64. The CDs combined feature over 82 minutes of music.

Two CDs (CD1: The Founders of Grottaferrata; CD2: The Feast of Pentecost).

Click here to order.

Review of A TIME FOR LIFE

2007-11-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Today's Oregonian posted an excellent review of Cappella Romana's program, A Time for Life. A PDF of that review can be viewed here:

Review of A Time for Life, The Oregonian, November 5, 2007

Full text also here:

'Time' cries out for planet's salvation

Monday, November 05, 2007

DAVID STABLER

The Oregonian Staff

A tenor walked slowly down the aisle of the church, between pews crammed with listeners. He sang softly to God, as if he were praying alone and we were invisible.

As he sang, something in his voice, a quality located somewhere between speculation and belief, said: We are all dying. Look at our brokenness.

Robert Kyr's new environmental oratorio -- I can't think of another way to describe it -- shimmered through St. Mary's Cathedral on Friday, a twig trembling on the lip of the falls. Kyr's music wept for the Earth. It shuddered and then grew stronger, blooming into beauty before evaporating in silence.

In our vast and seemingly hopeless effort to save the planet, "A Time for Life" is a tiny note in a bottle, reminding us that we are here but momentarily -- "trembling with joy," as soprano LeaAnne DenBeste sang on a brief, stabbing, ecstatic G. Or, as Robert Bly put it, "Like a note of music, you are about to become nothing."

And yet, "A Time for Life" also suggests that we, the living, are survivors. We have crawled out of a sea of amino acids and although we have stained our altar stone of land, we can fix it. Kyr, as we've heard in his anti-war symphonies, is an optimist, a gentle witness of conscience, and this chanting piece is as much about spiritual recovery as it is about loss. "A Time for Life" begs us to remember and restore the Earth's grandeur.

How Portland. How Northwest. That's not a putdown, but an acknowledgement that, faced with our "paper or plastic" ethics, our choked roads and a Superfund, polluted Willamette River, in our hearts we believe that our air will one day be fresh again, our fields green, our rivers clean, our streets filled with bicycles, and Mount Hood will forever watch over our idealic valley.

We hear from politicians about global warming all the time. We read about going "green" until we're blue in the face. Now, composers such as Kyr are putting the message into music.

"A Time for Life" contains no roaring river of sound in the style of Philip Glass or John Adams. With his Quaker background, Kyr combines tender, sometimes rapturous, lyricism with a whiff of Byzantine incense. Sophisticated canons and double choruses synthesize both modern and ancient modes, and Western and Asian musical traditions. And yet, his best music sounds artless.

During an hour of music, the eight excellent voices of Cappella Romana (sopranos DenBeste and Stephanie Kramer, altos Jo Routh and Tuesday Rupp, tenors John Michael Boyer and Leslie W. Green, baritone Mark Powell and bass David Stutz) lapped the walls with words from Sioux and Eskimo prayers, biblical psalms and Greek Orthodox texts. Three Renaissance stringed instruments (played by the superb Margriet Tindemans, Shira Kammen and David Morris) summoned the ancients while grounding the singers' voices in rolling chords. A useful musical reference here may be the mystical music of Arvo Part and Henryk Gorecki.

Slants of melody set the mind adrift. If a million solar systems are born every hour, how many may have burst into being during the five-lined Navajo chant "Restore my feet for me?" as voices overlapped in canon?

A moment of beauty arrived with an Ojibwa prayer: "In all creation, only the human family has strayed from the Sacred Way." We had just heard Green and Powell howl at the shepherds who neglected their flocks -- a rousing duet, expertly sung -- when the mood shifted to supplication, as all eight voices pleaded for compassion "so we may heal the Earth." The music broadened like a river delta with DenBeste's bell-like voice again soaring on high.

By the end of the piece, with an inventory of crimes stacked against us, Kyr let us off gently. Flooding the church in a confluence of voices and instruments, the music swelled in homophonic splendor as the singers turned to the audience, singing, "Beauty before me, beauty behind me."

It's not a mystery, Kyr was saying as the singers walked slowly back up the aisles. The music tells us how to behave.

David Stabler: 503-221-8217; davidstabler@news.oregonian.com; http://blog.oregonlive.com/classicalmusic/

Oregonian Classical Blog

2007-11-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

David Stabler blogged on his experience of the dress rehearsal for A Time for Life:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/classicalmusic/2007/11/i_never_attend_rehearsals_exce.html

Music Criticism for Dummies

Posted by David Stabler November 01, 2007 11:09AM

Categories: News

Olivia Bucks

One of the rules in "Music Criticism for Dummies," just below "10 Tricks to Stay Awake at Concerts" and "100 Cliches to Sneak Past Your Editor" is "How to Attend Rehearsals."

Rule No. 1: Leave your Big Gulp at home.
Rule No. 2: Don't laugh and scribble things in your notebook.
Rule No. 3: Don't raise your hand to point out that the flute keeps coming in late at letter N.

This is touchy ground. When a critic shows up at a rehearsal, the musicians think we're tallying up their wrong notes, missed entrances and personality failures, when all we want to know is, are we in 4/4?

One of the hardest things to write about is a brand-new piece, so I often ask for a score and permission to sit in on a rehearsal. I've never had a composer bar the door, but I am forbidden from attending first rehearsals at the Oregon Symphony. I understand that having a critic in the house can be unsettling. They're unsettled, I'm unsettled, so everybody smiles a lot.

Anyway, I went to a rehearsal last night of Cappella Romana, the Portland choir that is premiering Robert Kyr's new piece on the environment, "A Time For Life."

Whoa. I've been listening to Kyr's music for many years, and some of it has stirred me and some of it hasn't. But even through the stops and starts last night, something powerful, perhaps extraordinary, came through. Eight singers, accompanied by the group, Medieval Strings, sing and drone and chant music from Eskimo, Ojibway, Pawnee, Navaho, biblical and Eastern Orthodox texts and prayers

Much beauty, much lyricism. The concert is at 8 p.m. Friday, St. Mary's Cathedral.

A TIME FOR LIFE Now in Rehearsal

2007-10-27T23:51:00.001-07:00

A TIME for LIFE: Music for the Environment

Cappella Romana is in residence this week working on Robert Kyr's innovative new work on the theme of living in harmony with nature, "A TIME FOR LIFE." (Click here for a sound sample of music by Robert Kyr).

Artistic Director Alexander Lingas is shown above, conducting, with composer Robert Kyr at the keyboard, rehearsing at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Portland on Saturday, October 27, 2007.

Click here to order tickets.

"A TIME FOR LIFE" features impressive full-voiced acclamations by all eight singers, contrasted with intimate solos, insistent duets and pensive trios sung by members of Cappella Romana and accompanied by two vielles and viola da gamba, played by Medieval Strings (Margriet Tindemans, director).

Shown to the right is Robert Kyr working with Cappella Romana singer Stephanie Kramer.

Kyr’s work is inspired by the Greek Orthodox Service for the Environment from Mt. Athos and invocations of Native American peoples.

TWO PERFORMANCES
Friday, November 2, 2007, 8pm St. Mary’s Cathedral, NW 18th & Couch
Saturday, November 3, 2007, 8pm Town Hall Seattle, 8th & Seneca

Click here to order tickets.

Jo Routh and David Stutz preparing to sing with Robert Kyr at the keyboard.

Pre-concert talks will take place at 7pm by Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, author of Beyond the Shattered Image: Insights into an Orthodox Ecological Worldview. Kyr hosts a panel of Northwest environmental leaders,including Peter Drury of the Sightline Institute, in post-concert discussions.

This program is made possible in part through support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Oregon Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Collins Foundation, the Herbert A. Templeton Foundation, the Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust, and Town Hall Seattle. The Mark Spencer Hotel is Cappella Romana's official hotel sponsor.

About Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, and his talks on November 2 and 3

2007-10-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

Before the concerts of A TIME FOR LIFE, in a special introductory presentation that will assume the form of an ecological meditation, Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis will explore a sacred vision of the earth.

Through images and word, he will reflect on the relationship of spirituality to ecology, emphasizing the role of icons, liturgy and self-sacrifice through asceticism.

By providing a spiritual perspective on the sacredness and beauty of the natural environment, he proposes that heaven and earth interpenetrate, restoring communion between God and the natural world.

In icons and in liturgy, God becomes incarnate, while matter becomes a vehicle of the Spirit.

More about Dr. Chryssavgis:

The Dr. Rev. John Chryssavgis
Theological Advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch
on Environmental Issues

The Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis was born in Australia (1958), where he matriculated from the Scots College (1975). He received his degree in Theology from the University of Athens (1980) and a diploma in Byzantine Music from the Greek Conservatory of Music (1979), and was awarded a research scholarship to St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary (1982). He completed his doctoral studies in Patristics at the University of Oxford (1983). After several months in silent retreat on Mt Athos, he served as Personal Assistant to the Greek Orthodox Primate in Australia (1984-94) and was co-founder of St Andrew’s Theological College in Sydney (1985), where he was Sub-Dean and taught Patristics and Church History (1986-95). He was also Lecturer in the Divinity School (1986-90) and the School of Studies in Religion (1990-95) at the University of Sydney. In 1995, he moved to Boston, where he was appointed Professor of Theology at Holy Cross School of Theology and directed the Religious Studies Program at Hellenic College until 2002. He established the Environment Office at the same School in 2001. He has also taught as professor of Patristics at Balamand University in Lebanon.

He currently serves as theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issues.

The author of several books and numerous articles on the Church Fathers and Orthodox Spirituality, Fr. John’s most recent publications include Soul Mending: The Art of Spiritual Direction (Holy Cross Press, 2000), In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (World Wisdom Books, 2002), Letters from the Desert: A Selection from Barsanuphius and John (St. Vladimir’s Press, 2003), and Light Through Darkness: the Orthodox tradition (Orbis Books, 2004).

Married to Sophie, Fr. John has two boys—Alexander (19 yrs, a sophomore at the Catholic University of America) and Julian (17 yrs, a high school senior).

Sneak preview of "A TIME FOR LIFE"

2007-10-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the texts from Robert Kyr's A TIME FOR LIFE:

I.

"O Creator:
Look at our brokenness.

In all creation,
Only the human family
Has strayed from the Sacred Way.

O Creator:
Teach us love, compassion, and honor,
So we may heal the earth.
So we may heal each other."

--Ojibway Prayer, adapted by Robert Kyr

II.

"O Creator:
Guide us to preserve your creation.
help us to protect the fullness of nature
In which we live and move and have our being.
Give us the breath of winds.
Give us the flow of waters.
Give us light."

--Adapted by Robert Kyr from the Orthodox "Service for the Environment"

III.

"A time for war
And a time for peace;
A time to mourn
And a time to dance;
A time for silence
And a time for music--
A time for life
And only life."

--Adapted by Robert Kyr from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

City University features Dr Alexander Lingas and Cappella Romana

2007-09-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

City University London's staff newsletter features Cappella Romana:

Click here

Cappella Romana presents a free open rehearsal for donors and subscribers, completes recording of Music for Christmas by Richard Toensing

2007-09-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

For this remarkable project, Richard Toensing composed an ambitious new a cappella work for Cappella Romana, requiring two choirs (24 singers), three male soloists (the Magi), treble and baritone duet (Christ), and soprano soloist (the Mother of God).

Entitled "The Kontakion of the Nativity of Christ," Toensing set an English translation of the majority of the famous poetic sermon by St. Romanos the Melodist.

The 35-minute work will form the cornerstone of a new Christmas CD for future release.

In the week prior to the recording sessions, on Thursday, August 30, Cappella Romana's donors and subscribers were treated to a free private open rehearsal, which featured not only a true working rehearsal to show how Cappella Romana prepares its programs, but also a complete performance of the Kontakion.

Here Dr. Alexander Lingas is shown addressing the crowd of donors and subscribers:

Following the rehearsal and performance, the audience was treated to a wine and cheese reception, hosted by Cappella Romana's board of directors.

The ensemble completed recording Dr. Toensing's magnum opus on Thursday night, September 6, at 12:30am (technically Friday morning) after three full nights of sessions to record this challenging but very beautiful, exhilarating and satisfying work. Producer Steve Barnett captured a bit of the ensemble's mood in the following photograph of the ensemble, taken at 12:35am.

Front row: Wendy Steele, Amy Russell Cathey, Catherine van der Salm, Dr. Alexander Lingas, Dr. Richard Toensing (composer), LeaAnne DenBeste, Stephanie Kramer, Heather Roszczyk, Maria Karlin, Tuesday Rupp. Back row: Gayle Neuman, Aaron Cain, Linda Tsatsanis, Cahen Taylor, Ben Kinkley, Adam Steele, Daniel Burnett, Kristen Buhler, Les Green, Mark Powell, Stephen Marc Beaudoin, Dr. Virginia Hancock, Paul Sadilek, Melanie Downie Zupan, Jim Rose, Brian Francis, and David Krueger. Not shown: Blake Applegate, Kari Ferguson, David Stutz, Steve Barnett (producer), Bill Levey (engineer).

On Friday and Saturday nights, September 7 and 8, a smaller ensemble of 14 recorded a number of carols, also by Dr. Toensing, for inclusion on the future CD. Printed scores of these works (generally in no more than four parts) may be found here.

The recording sessions took place in St. Agatha Catholic Church in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland.

The project was made possible through the support of a small number of private donors and a major grant from the Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund.

Cappella Romana's Chant Ensemble Presents the New Photo

2007-08-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Photographer Bill Stickney has created a fantastic image of Cappella Romana as men's chant ensemble. Hi-res versions are available for print.

Music from Mt. Sinai: Recorded!

2007-08-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

Cappella Romana's program "Mt. Sinai: Frontier of Byzantium" was recorded last week, from August 20 through August 25, in the extraordinary acoustics of Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle. Alexander Lingas (center) led a nine-member ensemble in chants from the monastery of St. Catherine at Mt. Sinai in Egypt, featuring music for St. Catherine followed by the medieval liturgical drama, "The Service of the Furnace." The program was performed in late 2006 at the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, then again in January 2007 in Cappella Romana's own series.

Among the singers were Stelios Kontakiotis, protopsaltis of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC; John Michael Boyer, protopsaltis of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco; and Constantine Kokenes, lampadarios of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Atlanta, GA. Mark Powell, David Stutz, David Krueger, and Thomas Thompson rounded out the ensemble, directed by Dr. Alexander Lingas, who also sang as a melodist.

Multiple Grammy-award winner Steve Barnett was producer, along with Bill Levey, our regular and excellent sound engineer. The ensemble faced serious challenges during the week, with external noise outside the church increasing each night (the sessions were scheduled from 8pm to 12 midnight). The final night a group of bikers on Harley-Davidsons were trolling the neighborhood. Fortunately they left after about 9:30pm, but the first hour and a half was spent on one page of music! Friday's final session ended at 12:15am!

The over 70-minute disc is slated for release in 2008 or 2009. First to come out this autumn will be the disc "Byzantium in Rome: Medeival Byzantine Chant from Grottaferrata", then later the double-disc "Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English."

Needless to say, we were relieved to complete the music in time! Now we will record Christmas music by Richard Toensing just after Labor Day.

Christmas in the Summer: Preparing for Toensing's Kontakion

2007-07-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

In 2006 Cappella Romana was approached by the composer Richard Toensing to record a set of his Christmas carols and a new major work for double choir and soloists, The Kontakion of the Nativity of Christ, with a translation based on the English text by Fr. Ephrem Lash.

Last night (24 July 2007) was the first rehearsal led by chorusmaster Adam Steele, and I can tell already that it's going to be a great program.

The full program will be recorded the week after Labor Day, directed by Alexander Lingas and produced by Grammy-award winner Steve Barnett.

Mark Powell
Executive Director

With Anonymous 4, Concord Ensemble at Pepperdine University in Malibu

2007-05-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Cappella Romana has been invited to perform as one of three headliner groups in the festival "The Ascending Voice" this June at Pepperdine University, an international symposium of sacred a cappella music. Representing the Orthodox a cappella tradition in Byzantine chant, Cappella Romana will be featured alongside Concord Ensemble (singing Latin polyphony) and Anonymous 4 (singing Southern Protestant and Shape-note hymnody).

Cappella Romana's concert will be held on Tuesday evening, June 5, at 7:30pm. The ensemble will perform its program Mt. Sinai: Frontier of Byzantium.

Learn about the conference here.

Buy tickets here.

On tour in Santa Barbara prior to The Ascending Voice

2007-05-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

Just prior to the conference at Pepperdine, Cappella Romana returns to Santa Barbara to perform its program Mt. Sinai: Frontier of Byzantium.

Its first performance in Santa Barbara since 2001, Alexander Lingas will direct the singers in a program of virtuoso medieval Byzantine chant from ancient manuscripts at St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai, Egypt.

Cappella Romana's concert in Santa Barbara will be held on Sunday afternoon, June 3rd, at 3:30pm, among the mosaic icons of St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Santa Barbara. Pre-concert talk at 3:00pm.

More information about the concert. Tickets at the door, 805/683-4492 or 685-8982. \

Cappella Romana tours the East Coast this April

2007-04-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Princeton and Yale present Cappella Romana in
"Hellenes and Music of the Renaissance"

This April, just after Easter (Pascha) and before its series concerts in Portland and Seattle, Cappella Romana will appear at Princeton and Yale Universities in a program called "Hellenes and the Music of the Renaissance."

Founding artistic director Alexander Lingas leads Cappella Romana in a program of works in Greek, Latin, and French born from meetings between East and West during the 15th and 16th centuries, including music by Manuel Gazes, John Plousiadenos, Guillaume Du Fay, and the Cretan Franghiskos Leontaritis (1518?-1572?), the son of a Greek mother and Italian father who eventually sang in Venice under Willaert in San Marco and in Munich under Lassus. (Photo: Piazza di San Marco, Venice)

Princeton Hellenic Studies: Friday, April 13, 2007

Yale Institute of Sacred Music: Saturday, April 14, 2007

Radiant Cloud in April

2007-04-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

RADIANT CLOUD
Alexander Lingas, dir.

Luminous choral music by contemporary composers steeped in the Byzantine tradition. Featured works include: Radiant Cloud and the World Premiere of A Woman Clothed with the Sun, a setting from the Book of Revelation, by Michael Adamis and the "Benedictions" from the Requiem by Mikis Theodorakis, best known worldwide for his film score for Zorba the Greek.

Portland: Fri, Apr 20, 2007,
8:00pm @ St Mary’s Cathedral, 1716 NW Davis St

Seattle: Sat, Apr 21, 2007,
8:00pm @ Holy Rosary Church, 4139 42nd Ave SW

SPONSORED BY

DIGNITY MEMORIAL

Cappella Romana's new weblog

2007-03-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

Look here for news and items of interest for Cappella Romana patrons and supporters.

Mark Powell
Executive Director
Cappella Romana