[…] the University of Oxford (1983). After several months in silent retreat on Mt Athos, he served as Personal Assistant to the Greek Orthodox Primate in Australia (1984 -94) and was co–founder of St Andrew’s Theological College in Sydney (1985), where he was Sub–Dean and taught Patristics and Church History (1986–95). He was also Lecturer […]
[…] younger colleagues. He was chair of his department from 1984–2001, and was named professor emeritus upon retirement. Toensing’s compositions span a variety of styles, from the gestural, free atonal work of the 1960s and 1970s to a renewed interest in various forms of diatonic music in more recent years. He has written numerous works […]
Described as “an up –and-coming conductor” (The Oregonian), “a rising star in the choral world” (Catholic Sentinel), and as having “set the bar for Orthodox liturgical music in the English–speaking world” (Orthodox Arts Journal), composer and conductor Benedict Sheehan is Director of Music at St. Tikhon’s Seminary and Monastery in Pennsylvania, Artistic Director of […]
[…] the first vocal album in the world to be recorded entirely in live virtual acoustics. It brings together art history, music history, performance, and technology to re -create medieval sacred sound in the cathedral of Hagia Sophia as an aural virtual reality. With a stunning reverberation time of over 11 seconds, the acoustics of […]
This profoundly moving and powerful music bears witness to how ancient Greek and Latin liturgical traditions were richly embellished during the Renaissance on the islands of Crete and Cyprus, all within the shared cultural space of Venetian rule. First performed by Cappella Romana at the Early Music Festival in Utrecht (Netherlands).
this album provides a new tool not only for self-examination but for indulgence in the rich sensual heritage of Byzantine singing. Kassianí’s songs demand to be heard, and we are enriched by listening to them, especially in this authentic and deeply expressive collection.
[…] proud to present the release of Hymns of Kassianí performed by Cappella Romana, Alexander Lingas, music director. Discover the world’s earliest music by a female composer: 9th -century nun, poet, and hymnographer Kassianí (Kassía). The same men and women of Cappella Romana who brought you the Lost Voices of Hagia Sophia bestseller (44 weeks […]
Cappella Romana’s Good Friday in Jerusalem is a superb example of just how lovely this music can be. … Definitely worth a listen. Personally, I want to see them get their Grammy! Check it out.
the smooth and assured delivery of Cappella Romana keeps the work meaningful and communicative throughout… Ikon of Light is majestic, generally slow–paced, pervaded by a contagious sense of calm that creates an experience of time expansion…
sonorous drones, extended sustains, deeply full choral outlays and deeply meditative sobriety and jubilation… Bravo for the vocal excellence, the great audio and the finely crafted honing of the Modern in the Archaic.
“La Rocca has forged an individual and powerful style: emotionally compressed yet often quiet, restrained and then powerfully moving…look for it to become one of La Rocca’s most performed works…”
There is a synergy between Sheehan and the singers of the kind that often comes with a sense of shared mission, and best of all is the sound from the Cappella Romana label… rich, clear, and multi–layered.
