Icons of Sound: Concert with Cappella Romana
Cappella RomanaVocal Ensemble
The internationally renowned musical group Cappella Romana presents their concert “Icons of Sound” featuring pieces composed by the 9 th century nun Kassia and interpretations of medieval Byzantine chant for the feast of the Holy Cross in Constantinople
Leading scholar of late-antique Christian poetry Susan Ashbrook Harvey will precede the concert at 4PM with a keynote address to begin our two-day symposium, “Recovering Hymnography.”
The Recovering Hymnography program, including this concert, is made possible through a Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. This program is presented by the Lumen Christi Institute, the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, and the Fordham Center for Orthodox Christian Studies, and cosponsored by the Divinity School at the University of Chicago and the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
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. Cappella Romana has a special commitment to mastering the Slavic and Byzantine musical repertories in their original languages, thereby making accessible to the general public two great musical traditions that are little known in the West. In the field of contemporary music, Cappella Romana has taken a leading role in bringing to audiences the vocal works of such European contemporary composers as Michael Adamis, Ivan Moody, Arvo Pärt, and John Tavener, as well as promoting the work of North Americans such as Fr. Sergei Glagolev, Christos Hatzis, Peter Michaelides, and Tikey Zes. The vocal ensemble presents annual concert series in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, in addition to touring nationally and internationally. Critics have consistently praised these for their unusual and innovative programming, including numerous world and American premieres. The group regularly collaborates with such artists as conductor Paul Hillier, chant specialist Ioannis Arvanitis, and composer Ivan Moody.
