Join the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music for an exciting collaboration with Cappella Romana featuring an evening of music inspired by and honoring St. Demetrios, a prominent figure in the Greek Orthodox Church. This concert will take place in the beautiful Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia, located in the heart of the Byzantine-Latino Quarter of Los Angeles.
St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church
1324 Normandie Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90006
About Cappella Romana:
Cappella Romana is a professional vocal ensemble that performs early and contemporary sacred classical music in the Christian traditions of East and West. The ensemble is known especially for its presentations and recordings of medieval Byzantine chant (the Eastern sibling of Gregorian chant), Greek and Russian Orthodox choral works, and other sacred music that expresses the historic traditions of a unified Christian inheritance.
Cappella Romana presents sacred choral music that engages audiences with an experience of music from medieval times as well as by contemporary composers.
A presentation by Cappella Romana is an experience unlike any other classical choral music concert. Each of its events reveal something transcendent. In the space of our performances and our recordings, we bring to the public the music of the common Christian inheritance.
A Cappella Romana performance takes you on a journey of discovery. Some programs feature ancient music never before heard by modern audiences; on other occasions new or rediscovered works are brought to audiences by leading contemporary composers. Our programs create a dynamic experience of immersion in sound and space, tradition and history, innovation and light.
Founded in 1991, Cappella Romana’s name refers to the medieval Greek concept of the Roman oikoumene (inhabited world), which embraced Rome and Western Europe, as well as the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople (“New Rome”) and its Slavic commonwealth.
Flexible in size according to the demands of the repertory, Cappella Romana has a special commitment to mastering the Slavic and Byzantine musical repertories in their original languages, thereby making accessible to the general public two great musical traditions that are little known in the West.
In the field of contemporary music, Cappella Romana has taken a leading role in bringing to audiences the vocal works of such European contemporary composers as Michael Adamis, Ivan Moody, Arvo Pärt, and John Tavener, as well as promoting the work of North Americans such as Fr. Sergei Glagolev, Christos Hatzis, Peter Michaelides, and Tikey Zes.
The vocal ensemble presents annual concert series in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, in addition to touring nationally and internationally. Critics have consistently praised these for their unusual and innovative programming, including numerous world and American premieres. The group regularly collaborates with such artists as conductor Paul Hillier, chant specialist Ioannis Arvanitis, and composer Ivan Moody.
The ensemble is based in Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
This event is made possible by the David and Irmgard Dobrow Fund. Classical music was a passion of the Dobrows, who established a generous endowment at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to make programs like this possible. We are proud to celebrate this program as part of the 2024 - 25 Dobrow Series.