Thank you to Daryl Browne and ArtsWatch for the fantastic preview of our Frank La Rocca: Requiem for the Forgotten concert series (March 28-30, 2025):
“Two choirs will be on “display” at Cappella Romana’s upcoming concert series on March 28 (in Seattle), and March 29 and 30 (in Portland). The first choir, The Benedict Sixteen, is on a CD released by Cappella Records in 2024 – the world premiere recording of Frank La Rocca’s Requiem Mass for the Forgotten and Messe des Malades. The second choir, Cappella Romana itself, will present the live performance of Requiem Mass for the Forgotten. Joining Cappella Romana in this performance are the instrumental artists of 45th Parallel Universe. But the conductor of the B16 CD and on the podium for this concert is the same – internationally known, highly respected and Seattle-raised conductor Richard Sparks.
When Sparks conducts the CR concert in Seattle the audience is likely to include many former students, professional singers, friends and colleagues. From 1983 to 2001 Sparks was on the music faculty at Pacific Lutheran University and also founded two Seattle choral organizations still going strong today: Seattle Pro Music (in 1973) and Choral Arts Northwest (in 1993). He was Chair for Conducting & Ensembles at the University of North Texas (Denton). He is now principal conductor of The Benedict Sixteen. And it was in that capacity that he conducted the premiere recording of La Rocca’s Masses.…
Perhaps those are the reasons that The Benedict Sixteen/La Rocca album landed #2 on the Billboard Charts in Holy Week 2024. Or maybe folks just love the rich yet accessible sound. La Rocca’s orchestration is similar to that of Fauré’s (original) Requiem we so dearly love – divided violas and cellos, bass, harp and organ – which connects us to the earth as we look to the heavens. Another reason it was so popular could be the quality of the recording which is excellent as are most recordings conducted by Richard Sparks.…
…Music for prayer in performance. This is the essence of Cappella Romana, isn’t it? Music that invites prayer, in its many forms, to all.”
See the full feature on OrArtsWatch.org!
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