Cappella Romana Inc

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES FOR THE PUBLIC.

AS ONE OF THE LEADING PROFESSIONAL CHAMBER CHOIRS IN NORTH AMERICA BOTH BY BUDGET AND ACTIVITY LEVEL, CAPPELLA ROMANA AIMS TO BE THE PREEMINENT GLOBAL PROPONENT OF EARLY AND CONTEMPORARY VOCAL MUSIC INSPIRED BY BYZANTIUM, THE SLAVIC COMMONWEALTH, AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH WESTERN TRADITIONS. FOUNDED BY MUSIC DIRECTOR ALEXANDER LINGAS IN 1991, ITS HIGHLY FOCUSED PROGRAMS OFFER A GLIMPSE OF THE TRANSCENDENT IN VOCAL ART, MADE POSSIBLE BY DEEP, ORIGINAL MUSICOLOGICAL AND ETHNOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH. REACHING MORE AUDIENCES EACH YEAR AND ACCLAIMED RECENTLY IN GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE ("A SOUND WORLD OF UNIQUE BEAUTY"), THE PORTLAND, OREGON BASED ENSEMBLE PRESENTS A WEST COAST CONCERT SERIES (PORTLAND, SEATTLE, AND SAN FRANCISCO) AS ITS MAIN PROGRAM OFFERING. COLLABORATIONS WITH PEERS, SUCH AS PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, PORTLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA, AND 45TH PARALLEL NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE, REACH BROAD AUDIENCES, AS DO ITS REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL TOURS. CAPPELLA'S RECENT INTERNATIONAL TOURS INCLUDE PERFORMANCES IN THE NETHERLANDS, ROMANIA, HUNGARY, SERBIA, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM AND NATIONAL TOURS INCLUDE PERFORMANCES IN WASHINGTON (DC), MINNEAPOLIS, SACRAMENTO, SAN FRANCISCO, ST. LOUIS (MO), LINCOLN (NE), NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, AND SEATTLE. CAPPELLA RECORDS (CAPPELLA ROMANA'S OWN RECORD LABEL) NOW HAS 30 RELEASED RECORDINGS, WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED BY NAXOS OF AMERICA, AND ITS RECENT RELEASE OF THE ST. TIKHON CHOIR GARNERED A GRAMMY NOMINATION. CAPPELLA ROMANA WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST ADOPTERS OF THE REGIONAL ARTS & CULTURE COUNCIL'S ARTS FOR ALL PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM, BEGUN IN 2007, BENEFITS CITIZENS IN THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA ON FOOD ASSISTANCE (SNAP). ANY HOLDER OF AN OREGON TRAIL (SNAP) CARD MAY PURCHASE 5 TICKETS TO ANY CAPPELLA ROMANA CONCERT. THE REGULAR MARKET-RATE FOR TICKETS RANGE FROM 22 TO 80. SNAP CREDIT IS NOT USED FOR PURCHASING TICKETS. THE ARTS FOR ALL PROGRAM ENABLES LOWER INCOME INDIVIDUALS TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF CAPPELLA ROMANA'S MUSICAL PERFORMANCE, IN PERSON, AT A FRACTION OF THE REGULAR PRICE. CAPPELLA ROMANA CONCERTS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE, COLOR, ETHNIC ORIGIN, GENDER, RELIGION, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR DISABILITY. WE WILL NOT TURN SOMEONE AWAY FOR THE LACK OF ABILITY TO PAY. CAPPELLA ROMANA ALSO PROVIDES ITS RECORDINGS WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE NONPROFIT ALL CLASSICAL PORTLAND RADIO STATION TO ENSURE THAT THE GREATER COMMUNITY CAN EXPERIENCE OUR LIVE PERFORMANCES AND RECORDINGS. ALL CLASSICAL'S LISTENERSHIP IS OVER 150,000. CAPPELLA ROMANA ALSO OFFERS FREE RECITALS OF ITS MUSICAL PROGRAM FOR THE PUBLIC AS A GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY, IN PERFORMANCES SUCH AS AT PORTLAND'S GREEK FESTIVAL AND FOR THE NORTHWEST CHAPTER CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS. CAPPELLA ROMANA HAS ALSO PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE IN HOSPITALS, WITH A SET OF HOLIDAY CAROLS FOR CHRONICALLY ILL PATIENTS THERE, AND FOR WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS IN ITS COMMUNITY. DURING THE PANDEMIC, ADDITIONAL FREE PERFORMANCES WERE BROADCAST ONLINE AND AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE. PROGRAM ACTIVITY IN FY22 FOLLOWING THE LOCKDOWNS BEGINNING IN MARCH 2020, CAPPELLA ROMANA RETURNED TO IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES IN JULY 2021. THE FIRST PROJECT OF FY22 WAS A RECORDING SESSION OF A WORK OF WHICH CAPPELLA ROMANA GAVE THE WORLD PREMIERE IN 2018, "HEAVEN AND EARTH," A SETTING OF PSALM 103 (SEPTUAGINT; 104 IS THE MASORETIC NUMBER). THIS WORK FEATURES THE WORK OF SIX AMERICAN ORTHODOX COMPOSERS: TIKEY ZES, RICHARD TOENSING, ALEX KHALIL, JOHN MICHAEL BOYER, AND MATTHEW ARNDT, EACH COMPOSER SETTING A PART OF THE PSALM, INFLUENCED BY SLAVIC, BYZANTINE, GEORGIAN, AND MODERN CHORAL STYLES. THE RECORDING SESSIONS WERE HELD NEAR PORTLAND FOR A FUTURE RELEASE, AND INCLUDED A UNIQUE RENDERING OF JOHN TAVENER'S "ICON OF LIGHT" FOR CHOIR AND STRING TRIO (PERFORMED BY OUR PARTNERS AT 45TH PARALLEL). (THIS RECORDING WAS RELEASED IN OCTOBER 2023). IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER CAPPELLA ROMANA FLEW TO IRELAND FOR A TRIPLE RECORDING SESSION: 1) MEDIEVAL CHANTS FROM GROTTAFERRATA (A FILM THAT WAS PRESENTED AT THE IASI BYZANTINE MUSIC FESTIVAL IN ROMANIA LATER IN SEPTEMBER); 2) BYZANTINE CHANT FOR A FUNERAL IN ENGLISH, RECORDED FOR FUTURE RELEASE; AND 3) THE ORTHODOX MEMORIAL SERVICE COMPOSED BY THE LATE JOHN TAVENER, ALSO FOR FUTURE RELEASE. FOLLOWING THESE RECORDING SESSIONS, THE ENSEMBLE FLEW TO THE NETHERLANDS IN THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF SEPTEMBER TO GIVE THE FINALE CONCERT OF THE UTRECHT EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL, THE LARGEST FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD DEDICATED TO ANCIENT MUSIC. CAPPELLA ROMANA PERFORMED ITS "LOST VOICES OF HAGIA SOPHIA" PROGRAM, SUNG IN THE VIRTUAL-REALITY ACOUSTICS OF THE CATHEDRAL OF HAGIA SOPHIA IN CONSTANTINOPLE (NOW ISTANBUL) TO A SOLD-OUT AUDIENCE OF 2,000. ON RETURNING TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, CAPPELLA ROMANA OPENED ITS FY22 SERIES, THE FIRST IN-PERSON SERIES SINCE THE FY20 SERIES WAS CUT SHORT BY COVID-19. THE FIRST CONCERT FEATURED MUSIC THAT HAD JUST BEEN RECORDED IN IRELAND, THE BYZANTINE CHANTS FOR A FUNERAL AND THE MEMORIAL SERVICE (PANIKHIDA) BY JOHN TAVENER. THE CONCERT WAS CALLED "A COVID REQUIEM," WHICH COMMEMORATED THE PEOPLE WHO DIED OF COVID WHOSE NAMES WERE SUBMITTED BY OUR AUDIENCES AND GREATER COMMUNITY. A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO CAPPELLA ROMANA COMMISSIONED ROBERT KYR TO WRITE AN ENVIRONMENTAL ORATORIO CALLED "A TIME FOR LIFE," WHICH WAS ALSO RELEASED ON DISC. OUR FRIENDS IN ASHLAND AT ANIMA MUNDI PRODUCTIONS COLLABORATED WITH US TO PRODUCE A FILM VERSION OF THE WORK IN THE PRIOR YEAR, USING THE EXISTING RECORDING AGAINST NATURAL IMAGES AND FILM TAKEN IN OREGON. THE FILM WAS PRODUCED BY THE COMPOSER ROBERT KYR AND FILMMAKER PAUL LINGAS, A GRADUATE OF THE FILM SCHOOL AT USC. THE FILM HAD BEEN FIRST SHOWN THE YEAR PRIOR, AND REPRISED IN THIS SEASON BY OUR FRIENDS AT ANIMA MUNDI. THE NEXT LIVE SET OF CONCERTS FEATURED A LARGE CHORUS SINGING THE DIVINE LITURGY BY AMERICAN COMPOSER BENEDICT SHEEHAN, CONDUCTED BY THE COMPOSER. THE RECORDING OF THIS WORK CAPPELLA ROMANA (UNDER ITS LABEL CAPPELLA RECORDS) HAD RELEASED IN THE PRIOR YEAR. THIS LITURGICAL MUSIC IS DEEPLY INSPIRED BY THE SLAVIC TRADITION, ESPECIALLY THE CHORAL WORKS OF SERGEI RACHMANINOFF, BEST KNOWN FOR HIS VIRTUOSIC PIANO AND ORCHESTRAL WORKS. IN JANUARY 2022, THE ENSEMBLE FACED A SERIOUS SETBACK WITH THE ADVENT OF THE OMICRON VARIANT OF COVID. WE HAD TO POSTPONE BOTH A SET OF CONCERTS AND A RECORDING SESSION FOR A NEW RESEARCH PROJECT CALLED "A BYZANTINE EMPEROR AT KING HENRY'S COURT," A BILINGUAL (GREEK AND LATIN) CONCERT PROGRAM THAT COMMEMORATES THE VISIT OF THE BYZANTINE EMPEROR MANUEL II TO THE COURT OF KING HENRY IV OF ENGLAND IN THE YEAR 1400 AT CHRISTMASTIME. THIS PROJECT WAS POSTPONED FOR A YEAR, COMPLETED AS A RECORDING SESSION IN THE SUMMER OF 2022 AND RELEASED WITH A SET OF LIVE CONCERTS IN JANUARY 2023. IN FEBRUARY, AFTER THE OMICRON VARIANT HAD ADEQUATELY SUBSIDED, WE CARRIED ON WITH OUR PLANS FOR A PROJECT OF MUSIC BY ESTONIAN COMPOSER ARVO PART, THE MOST PERFORMED CLASSICAL COMPOSER IN THE WORLD NEXT TO FILM COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS (THE TOP NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES SEEMS TO GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TWO EVER YEAR). CAPPELLA ROMANA PERFORMED PART'S LARGEST A CAPPELLA WORK, THE KANON POKAJANEN (KANON OF REPENTANCE) TO SOLD-OUT AUDIENCES, FOLLOWED BY RECORDING SESSIONS FOR A FUTURE DISC OF PART'S MUSIC TO BE RELEASED IN 2024. THAT SAME MONTH VLADIMIR PUTIN SENT HIS TROOPS TO INVADE UKRAINE. GIVEN OUR FOCUS ON SACRED MUSIC OF BOTH THE BYZANTINE AND SLAVIC WORLD, IT ONLY MADE SENSE TO DO SOMETHING TO SUPPORT UKRAINE. THEREFORE CAPPELLA ROMANA DEVELOPED A FUNDRAISING CONCERT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FOUR OTHER CHOIRS - PORTLAND SYMPHONIC CHOIR AND OREGON REPERTORY SINGERS (AMATEUR COMMUNITY CHORUSES); THE PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIR (UNIVERSITY CHOIR); AND THE GRANT HIGH SCHOOL CHAMBER CHOIR (SCHOOL CHOIR). THE EVENT IN MAY RAISED OVER 50,000 FOR MERCY CORPS AND ITS WORK WITH UKRAINIAN REFUGEES AND RELIEF WORK IN THE COUNTRY ITSELF. FOLLOWING THIS EVENT, CAPPELLA ROMANA PRESENTED FOR THE THIRD TIME THE FAMOUS TALLIS SCHOLARS FROM LONDON. CAPPELLA ROMANA REGULARLY PRESENTS OTHER ENSEMBLES WHOSE PROGRAMMING SERVE ITS MISSION OF EXPLORING SACRED MUSIC FROM EAST AND WEST. AFTER ITS 2021 RECORDING PROJECT IN IRELAND AND THE FINALE CONCERT OF THE UTRECHT EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL IN THE NETHERLANDS, CAPPELLA ROMANA TOURED AGAIN IN SPRING OF 2022, THIS TIME TO CITIES IN THE US MIDWEST. THE ENSEMBLE TOOK TWO PROGRAMS ON THIS TOUR: "LOST VOICES OF HAGIA SOPHIA,- AND "HYMNS OF KASSIANI," THE LATTER FEATURING THE OLDEST MUSIC WE HAVE IN THE WORLD BY A FEMALE COMPOSER. KASSIANI WAS A 9TH-CENTURY NUN WHO LIVED IN CONSTANTINOPLE. HER MUSIC IS STILL SUNG TODAY, AND PRE-DATES HILDEGARD OF BINGEN BY 300 YEARS. THE TOUR FEATURED STOPS WITH SOLD-OUT HOUSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO AT ITS MARVELOUS ROCKEFELLER CHAPEL; THE NEW CONCERT HALL AT CARLETON COLLEGE IN NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA; THE MONUMENTAL ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, WITH IT GLITTERING AND VAST MOSAICS; THE GREEK ORTHODOX