CAPPELLA ROMANA

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 AND SEATTLE) AS ITS MAIN PROGRAM OFFERING. COLLABORATIONS WITH PEERS, SUCH AS PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, PORTLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA, KINGDOM SOUND GOSPEL CHOIR, AND 45TH PARALLEL UNIVERSE, REACH BROAD AUDIENCES, AS DO ITS REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL TOURS. CAPPELLA'S RECENT INTERNATIONAL TOURS INCLUDE PERFORMANCES IN ROMANIA AND NATIONAL TOURS INCLUDE PERFORMANCES IN WASHINGTON (DC), BOSTON, NEW ORLEANS, HOUSTON, NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, AND SEATTLE. CAPPELLA RECORDS (CAPPELLA ROMANA'S OWN RECORD LABEL) NOW HAS OVER 35 RELEASED RECORDINGS, WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED BY NAXOS OF AMERICA, AND A RECENT RELEASE OF THE ST. TIKHON CHOIR GARNERED A GRAMMY NOMINATION, AND ANOTHER WON A JUNO AWARD (THE CANADIAN "GRAMMYS"). CAPPELLA ROMANA WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST ADOPTERS OF THE ARTS FOR ALL PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM, BEGUN IN 2007, BENEFITS CITIZENS IN THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA ON FOOD ASSISTANCE (SNAP), AND CAPPELLA ROMANA EXTENDS THIS BENEFIT TO THOSE IN WASHINGTON STATE AS WELL. ANY HOLDER OF AN 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 AND NOW AFTER, ADDITIONAL FREE PERFORMANCES WERE BROADCAST ONLINE AND AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE. PROGRAM ACTIVITY IN FY25 CAPPELLA ROMANA BEGAN FY25 WITH THE RELEASE IN JULY 2024 OF SAM HERRON'S BOOK "THE DIVINE LITURGY," THE THIRD MAJOR TITLE OF CAPPELLA ROMANA PUBLICATIONS, A COLLECTION OF BYZANTINE CHANTS IN ENGLISH. IN SEPTEMBER 2024, CAPPELLA ROMANA TOURED TO HOUSTON-PERFORMING FOR THE CATHOLIC LITURGY ASSOCIATION AND HOUSTON EARLY MUSIC-AND TO NEW YORK FOR THE ST. IGNATIUS SERIES, PRESENTING "LOST VOICES OF HAGIA SOPHIA." AS A FREE OUTREACH EVENT, THE ENSEMBLE ALSO SANG VESPERS AT THE PORTLAND GREEK FESTIVAL IN OCTOBER. OCTOBER 2024 ALSO BROUGHT THE RELEASE OF THE RECORDING "A UKRAINIAN WEDDING,- AND THE PREMIERE OF "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. DEMETRIOS," WITH A RESIDENCY AT UCLA AND CONCERTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND IN LOS ANGELES, INCLUDING RECORDING SESSIONS AT UCLA AND WORK WITH STUDENT SINGERS. IN NOVEMBER, CAPPELLA ROMANA PRESENTED THE CELEBRATED BELGIAN ENSEMBLE VOX LUMINIS IN PORTLAND AND SEATTLE, PERFORMING MUSIC OF MONTEVERDI. ALSO IN NOVEMBER, CAPPELLA ROMANA PERFORMED "OUT OF THE ASHES OF SMYRNA" ON TOUR IN BOSTON AND NEW ORLEANS. THE MONTH ALSO SAW A BOOK LAUNCH IN BOSTON FOR "MYSTERIES: BYZANTINE CHANT FOR ORTHODOX SACRAMENTS" BY JOHN MICHAEL BOYER, THE FOURTH MAJOR RELEASE OF CAPPELLA ROMANA PUBLICATIONS. IN DECEMBER, CAPPELLA ROMANA AGAIN FORMED THE CHOIR FOR PORTLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA'S ANNUAL MESSIAH PERFORMANCES, REACHING OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE IN THOSE CONCERTS. THE ENSEMBLE ALSO TOURED TO CALIFORNIA (IRVINE AND SAN FRANCISCO), AND GAVE PERFORMANCES IN PORTLAND AND SEATTLE OF "CHRISTMAS IN UKRAINE," WITH GUEST DIRECTOR MARIKA KUZMA, TO PACKED HOUSES. IN FEBRUARY 2025, CAPPELLA ROMANA PRESENTED LONDON'S THE MARIAN CONSORT IN PORTLAND AND SEATTLE, WITH WORKSHOPS SERVING A LOCAL PROFESSIONAL ENSEMBLE, AN AMATEUR ADULT CHOIR, A HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR, AND A UNIVERSITY CHOIR. FEBRUARY ALSO SAW THE RELEASE OF "UKRAINIAN WAR REQUIEM," PERFORMED BY THE AXIOS MEN'S ENSEMBLE AND MEMBERS OF PRO CORO CANADA OF EDMONTON, WHICH LATER WON THE JUNO AWARD (CANADA'S "GRAMMYS"). LATER THAT MONTH AND INTO MARCH, CAPPELLA ROMANA PRODUCED THE COMPLETE WORLD PREMIERE OF "THE CANON FOR RACIAL RECONCILIATION" BY NICHOLAS REEVES AND ISAAC CATES, BRINGING TOGETHER GOSPEL AND CLASSICAL SINGERS FOR THIS MAJOR CONCERT WORK WITH PLANS FOR A FUTURE TOUR AND RECORDING PROJECT. IN MARCH 2025, CAPPELLA ROMANA PERFORMED FRANK LA ROCCA'S REQUIEM FOR THE FORGOTTEN ALONGSIDE THE RHEINBERGER CANTUS MISSAE. MAY 2025 BROUGHT THE RELEASE OF "A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE: CHANT FOR THE DIVINE LITURGY," THE FIFTH MAJOR TITLE OF CAPPELLA ROMANA PUBLICATIONS, AS WELL AS PERFORMANCES OF IVAN MOODY'S "PASSION AND RESURRECTION" IN COLLABORATION WITH IN MEDIO AND 45TH PARALLEL UNIVERSE. THE SEASON CONCLUDED WITH AN INTERNATIONAL TOUR TO ROMANIA FOR THE IA?I BYZANTINE MUSIC FESTIVAL, WITH CONCERTS IN BOTOSANI, IASI, AND PIATRA NEAMT.