-
Arctic Light rehearsals begin
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/)
-
Looking back at Cappella Romana in Greece
Now that LIVE IN GREECE is officially released, we’re taking the rest of the time this week to look back at our time on the tour when we made the recording. Cappella Romana on National Greek Television: Tour Video: Cappella Romana LIVE IN GREECE: From Constantinople to California Ancient Byzantine chants begin this 1,000-year journey…
-
Letter from Mark Powell, Executive Director
Introduction to Cappella Romana’s 30th Anniversary Season Dear Friends and Supporters, In late winter we usually are ready to share our next season with you, but given how this year has proceeded, we decided to wait until now to make any announcement. Over the last year, we have not lain dormant. Cappella Romana’s recording label…
-
Psaltikon: The Day of Resurrection
The Historical Development of Easter The celebration of Easter (i.e., Pascha) for Orthodox Christians commences on Saturday morning with a Vesperal Liturgy that comprises psalms, hymns, and Old Testament readings, followed by the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Pascha is formally inaugurated several hours later, at midnight, in a rush of blazing candles, exuberant…
-
The History of the Remembrance Poppy
During Cappella Romana’s They Are At Rest performances in Seattle (Nov. 9) and Portland (Nov. 11), the singers will be wearing poppies supplied by the American Legion – and will make them available to audience members – so we thought we’d look back at the “History of the Poppy” as set out by the Royal…
-
Cappella Romana Welcomes Superstar Basso Profundo Glenn Miller for “The Vigil”
Among singers, they’re known as basso profundos. In Russian Orthodox music, they are referred to as oktavists. Whatever you call them, they are one of the rarest – and lowest – voice parts, often singing a full octave below the normal bass range, adding new dimension and depth to the sound of an ensemble. To…
-
Venice in the East
Venice In The East: April 27-29, 2018 Program Notes by Alexander Lingas From its emergence as a significant political entity in the sixth century under the rule of the Eastern Roman (“Byzantine”) Empire to the dissolution of the Republic by Napoleon in 1797, the city of Venice remained closely tied to the Greek East. Following…
-
Venice in the North
Following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the peoples of Russia and Ukraine began to look to the West not only for trading partners, but also for political, intellectual and artistic models. The Westernization of northern Slavic societies rooted in Byzantine traditions of governance and religion accelerated during the tumultuous seventeenth century, which saw…
-
The Russian Chant Revival
Major traditions of complex sacred music throughout Europe were shaped during the so-called “long nineteenth century” (the period of relative peace which lasted from the battle of Waterloo to the outbreak of World War I) by movements to recover elements of early traditions for modern use. These efforts, like contemporary “back-to-roots” endeavors in non-musical arts…
-
#GivingTuesday
After Two Days of Shopping, #GivingTuesday is a day to give back TODAY is #GivingTuesday! Giving Tuesday is a global movement born in 2012 to shine a light on giving back. It is a holiday designed to rival Black Friday and Cyber Monday: a day to focus on what really matters. Join the movement and…
-
Cappella Romana Celebrates 25 Years!
Twenty-five years ago today (April 26, 1991) Cappella Romana made its debut in San Francisco! “Back in 1991, Portland native Alexander Lingas, the group’s artistic director, was living in San Francisco, singing as the assistant cantor at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral while studying for his doctoral exam. A recent earthquake had damaged the church, and…
-
Robert Kyr Receives Arts and Letters Award
A Time For Life composer Robert Kyr has been awarded the prestigious Arts and Letters Award given by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award honors outstanding artistic achievement by a composer who has arrived at his or her own artistic voice. In addition to an honorarium, the award offers funds toward music…
You must be logged in to post a comment.