CAPPELLA ROMANA
620 SW MAIN ST STE 714, PORTLAND, OR 97205 www.cappellaromana.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: MUSICAL PERFORMANCES FOR THE PUBLIC.

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, RUSSIA, AND WESTERN EUROPE. 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, SEATTLE, AND SAN FRANCISCO) AS ITS MAIN PROGRAM OFFERING. COLLABORATIONS WITH PEERS, SUCH AS PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, PORTLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA, AND THIRD ANGLE NEW MUSIC, REACH BROAD AUDIENCES, AS DO ITS REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL TOURS. CAPPELLA'S RECENT INTERNATIONAL TOURS INCLUDE PERFORMANCES IN THE NETHERLANDS, ROMANIA, HUNGARY, SERBIA, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM AND NATIONAL TOURS INCLUDE PERFORMANCES IN WASHINGTON (DC), MINNEAPOLIS, SACRAMENTO, SAN FRANCISCO, ST. LOUIS (MO), LINCOLN (NE), NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, AND SEATTLE. CAPPELLA NOW HAS 25 RELEASED RECORDINGS, WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED BY NAXOS OF AMERICA. CAPPELLA ROMANA WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST ADOPTERS OF THE REGIONAL ARTS & CULTURE COUNCIL'S ARTS FOR ALL PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM, BEGUN IN 2007, BENEFITS CITIZENS IN THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA ON FOOD ASSISTANCE (SNAP). ANY HOLDER OF AN OREGON TRAIL (SNAP) CARD MAY PURCHASE 5 TICKETS TO ANY CAPPELLA ROMANA CONCERT. THE REGULAR MARKET-RATE FOR TICKETS RANGE FROM 22 TO 49. 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 AT THE GROTTO'S CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS AND AT PORTLAND'S GREEK FESTIVAL EACH OCTOBER. 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 2020 PANDEMIC, ADDITIONAL FREE PERFORMANCES WERE BROADCAST ONLINE AND AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE. PROGRAM ACTIVITY IN FY20 UNTIL THE ADVENT OF THE PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN IN MARCH 2020, CAPPELLA ROMANA'S MAJOR ARTISTIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2019-20 WERE THE SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTION OF ITS PORTLAND, SEATTLE, AND BAY AREA CONCERT SERIES, TOURING, AND THE RELEASE OF A NEW RECORDING "LOST VOICES OF HAGIA SOPHIA," MEDIEVAL BYZANTINE CHANTS FROM HAGIA SOPHIA IN CONSTANTINOPLE (NOW ISTANBUL). THIS RECORDING WAS ITS GREATEST RECORDING SUCCESS SO FAR, POSTING A RECORD 43 WEEKS ON THE CLASSICAL BILLBOARD CHART. FY20 MARKED CAPPELLA ROMANA'S 28TH ANNUAL SEASON AND REPRESENTED A LEVELLING OF THE METEORIC INCREASE IN PROGRAMMING THAT CAME IN THE PRIOR FISCAL YEARS. WE PLANNED A SIX-CONCERT SERIES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, TO RUN FROM SEPTEMBER 2019 THROUGH MAY 2020 WITH ALL BUT ONE PROGRAM PERFORMED IN BOTH PORTLAND AND SEATTLE. WE COMPLETED FOUR OF THESE PROGRAMS NORMALLY, WITH LIVE AUDIENCES, UNTIL THE PANDEMIC STRUCK. THE FIRST FOUR PROGRAMS WERE THE FOLLOWING: 1) LOST VOICES OF HAGIA SOPHIA, CAPPELLA ROMANA'S EXTRAORDINARY PROJECT THAT BRINGS TOGETHER ART HISTORY, ANCIENT MUSIC, AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO PRESENT ANCIENT BYZANTINE CHANT IN THE VIRTUAL-REALITY ACOUSTICS OF HAGIA SOPHIA (ITS ACOUSTIC DECAY LASTS APPROXIMATELY 11 SECONDS) NB THIS WAS PERFORMED ONLY IN PORTLAND FOR A GALA EVENT AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, AND COORDINATED WITH ITS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE ON CD AND BLU-RAY WITH FULL SURROUND SOUND; 2) KASTALSKY'S REQUIEM, MEMORY ETERNAL TO THE FALLEN HEROES, IN MEMORY OF THE 1918 ARMISTICE, ALSO PERFORMED ON THE OREGON COAST IN LINCOLN CITY, OREGON; 3) CHRISTMAS IN CONSTANTINOPLE, FEATURING BYZANTINE CHANT FOR THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY, WITH AN ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE IN VANCOUVER, WASH.; AND 4) HYMNS OF KASSIAN, THE EARLIEST MUSIC WE HAVE BY A FEMALE COMPOSER, THE 9TH-CENTURY NUN AND POET KASSIAN FROM CONSTANTINOPLE. THIS PROGRAM WAS ALSO PERFORMED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON IN EUGENE, AND THEN RECORDED IN SESSIONS FOR FUTURE RELEASE ON DISC. THE FIFTH OF THE PROGRAMS, TCHAIKOVSKY'S DIVINE LITURGY, WAS IN REHEARSALS AT THE TIME OF THE SHUTDOWN, WITH ARTISTS IN PLACE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, SO WE OPTED TO PERFORM THIS LIVE ON A LIVESTREAM, WHICH WAS VIEWED BY OVER 65,000 PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. THIS WAS ORIGINALLY TO BE A COLLABORATION WITH THE EXCELLENT PACIFIC YOUTH CHOIR SINGING WITH CAPPELLA ROMANA'S PROFESSIONAL SINGERS, BUT THE YOUTH CHOIR WAS PREVENTED FROM PARTICIPATION DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. THE SIXTH PROGRAM WAS SLATED TO BE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF ROBERT KYR'S ALL- NIGHT VIGIL IN ENGLISH, MODELLED AFTER THE RACHMANINOFF ALL-NIGHT VIGIL (AKA "VESPERS") BUT USING ENGLISH TEXTS OF THE MOVEMENTS RACHMANINOFF SET. THIS HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO A FUTURE YEAR. ITS SAN FRANCISCO SERIES FEATURED THREE PLANNED PROGRAMS, THE FIRST TWO OF WHICH WERE COMPLETED BY JANUARY 2020: 1) MARY AND THE CROSS, BYZANTINE CHANT IN BOTH GREEK AND ENGLISH REFLECTING ON THE VIRGIN MARY AS AN EMBLEM OF HUMANKIND AND THE EXPERIENCE OF GRIEF, WITH AN ADDITIONAL CONCERT IN SACRAMENTO; AND 2) HYMNS OF KASSIAN, DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE THIRD PROGRAM, WHICH WAS TO HAVE BEEN IN MAY 2020, WAS "FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO CALIFORNIA," EXPLORING SACRED CHORAL WORKS BY GREEK AMERICANS LIVING IN CALIFORNIA, CONTRASTED WITH THEIR ANCIENT ANTECEDENTS IN THE OLD WORLD. THIS WAS TO HAVE BEEN PERFORMED IN BOTH SAN FRANCISCO AND SANTA CLARA (NEAR SAN JOSE). THE SAN FRANCISCO SERIES WAS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. CAPPELLA ROMANA OFFERED FREE PRE-CONCERT EDUCATIONAL TALKS PRIOR TO EVERY PERFORMANCE. CAPPELLA ROMANA ALSO PERFORMED HANDEL'S MESSIAH WITH PORTLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA IN DECEMBER 2019 AND PARTICIPATED IN FREE COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS, INCLUDING CAROLING AT THE GROTTO'S CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. THE ENSEMBLE ALSO RELEASED A NEW RECORDING IN BOTH CD AND HIGH-RESOLUTION SURROUND-SOUND BLU-RAY OF "LOST VOICES OF HAGIA SOPHIA." THIS IS THE ENSEMBLE'S MOST POPULAR RECORDING TO DATE, MARKING 42 WEEKS ON THE CLASSICAL BILLBOARD CHART. IT WAS PROFILED BOTH IN THE NEW YORK TIMES AND ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO. FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, HAGIA SOPHIA WAS THE LARGEST DOMED INTERIOR IN THE WORLD. ITS STUNNING REVERBERATION-OF OVER 11 SECONDS- IS RE-CREATED ON THIS RECORDING. THE FIRST VOCAL ALBUM EVER TO BE RECORDED IN LIVE VIRTUAL ACOUSTICS, LOST VOICES OF HAGIA SOPHIA WILL TRANSPORT YOU BACK IN TIME TO MEDIEVAL SOUND AND RITUAL IN CONSTANTINOPLE AS AN AURAL VIRTUAL REALITY. THE ACOUSTICS OF HAGIA SOPHIA FOR THIS RECORDING WERE SYNTHESIZED IN REAL TIME FROM MEASUREMENTS TAKEN AT HAGIA SOPHIA BY THE ICONS OF SOUND TEAM AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY (ICONSOFSOUND.STANFORD.EDU). IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC, FY21 WILL FEATURE CURATED PLAYLISTS, VIRTUAL CONCERTS, TWO FILMS INCLUDING A FULL-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE AND A RECENT TOUR TO EUROPE, AND RECORDING SESSIONS AND RELEASES, IN PREPARATION FOR LIVE CONCERTS TO RETURN IN FY22, THE ENSEMBLE'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON.

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