A sound that has resonated through the chapels and concert halls of Europe for nearly 40 years will soon fill sacred spaces in the nation’s capital, as the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School brings its rich tradition of Catholic music to the Washington area this summer.
The renowned boys’ choir led by director Charles Cole is celebrated for its crystalline sound and reverent approach to sacred music and gives Catholic boys ages 7 to 18 a full choral education. The choir will present its first performance on Thursday, July 24, at 6 p.m. at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, located at 1400 Quincy Street, N.E., in Washington, D.C. That concert of “Sacred Treasures of England, Spain and Italy” will include works from the Renaissance by Byrd, Tallis, Victoria, Guerrero, Gabrieli, Monteverdi and Palestrina.
The following Saturday, July 26, the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School will participate in a sung Mass and recital at 4:30 p.m. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave., N.E., Washington. The next morning on Sunday July 27, the choir will sing at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas Apostle Church at 2665 Woodley Road, N.W.
The Washington performances will conclude a U.S. tour that includes appearances in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the choir will participate in the Palestrina 500 Festival, and a concert at Old St. Mary’s in Detroit. In New York City, the Schola will return to institutions it visited in 2017, singing the Sunday High Mass at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents, presenting a concert at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and singing a Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Church.
The visit coincides with the release of the choir’s new album, Sacred Treasures of Rome, which arrives July 4 on the Hyperion label. The recording captures the beauty and devotional depth of works by Renaissance composers including Palestrina, Allegri, the Anerios, Animuccia, Giovannelli, Marenzio, Nanino and Soriano.
More information about the choir can be found at www.londonoratoryschola.com/schola.
