Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, born 500 years ago in 1525, is considered one of the greatest composers of Catholic choral music. In the Diocese of Buffalo, the St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum will perform two concerts during the month of June to mark the milestone anniversary and celebrate his legacy.
Their concert program, “Palestrina 500: Celebrating the Quincentenary Birthday of a Great Catholic Composer,” will be performed first on Sunday, June 8 at St. Louis Church in Buffalo, beginning at 5 p.m.. The second concert will be held Sunday, June 15 at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, beginning at 3 p.m. Both performances are free admission and open to the public.
The first half of each concert will be highlighted by Eucharist-themed motets including works by Durufle, Tallis, Lotti, Saint-Saens, Allegri and others to celebrate Year Three of the National Eucharistic Revival. The second half of the concerts will feature selected Palestrina choral works.
The St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum is an independent a cappella choir dedicated to preserving, promoting and performing sacred choral works from the great treasury of music of the Catholic Church. Its repertoire ranges from Gregorian chants to masterpieces of sacred polyphony from the Middle Ages to modern choral pieces.
For more information about the concerts and about the choir, you may email JP2Schola@gmail.com. The group may also be found on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.