The ‘Sacred Voices’ Choir is in California for its first state tour Aug. 24-29. The choir featuring 40 singers from the most important musical institutions in Rome and at the Vatican performed Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.
Sacred Voices showcases the great Roman polyphonic tradition of the Sistine Chapel Choir and its most famous composers. It is the choir of the Cardinal Bartolucci Foundation dedicated to the legendary Domenico Bartolucci. The maestro directed the Sistine Chapel Choir for nearly 50 years and was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI for his extraordinary service to the Church.
“It is with great excitement that Sacred Voices brings to California for the first time the extraordinary musical heritage of the Sistine Chapel Choir, with masterpieces by its great composers, from Palestrina to Cardinal Bartolucci,” Pontifical Cantore and Sacred Voices Director Adriano Caroletti told Catholic San Francisco.
Caroletti is the former choirboy and soloist of the Papal Sistine Chapel Choir under the direction of Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci. In 2017, after teaching vocal technique for the Pueri Cantores (student chorale group) of the Sistine Chapel Choir and for the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, the Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci Foundation appointed Caroletti director of Sacred Voices.
The choir’s repertoire is mainly dedicated to the composers of the Sistine Chapel Choir, according to Alessandro Biciocchi, executive director of the Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci Foundation. Of special focus will be Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, considered the leading composer of late 16th-century Europe, Lorenzo Perosi and Domenico Bartolucci himself. Cardinal Bartolucci wrote music and directed the Pope’s Choir in the 20th century.
California tour dates of Sacred Voices
Aug. 24 Cathedral of St. Joseph, San Jose, at 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco, at 7 p.m.
Aug. 26 Cathedral of the Annunciation, Stockton, at 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 27 Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, at 8 p.m.
Aug. 28 Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Sacramento, at 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 29 Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, at 3 p.m.
Absolutely fabulous. I was invited to attend this beautiful concert– but tickets started at over $55, so I and others had to decline, unfortunately.