Schola Cantorum of Melbourne
Schola Cantorum of Melbourne has established a reputation for presenting sacred music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque together with Gregorian chant in historical and innovative contexts.
Among its priorities are the liturgical reconstructions of major feasts, the performance of Mediaeval plays and the public exposure of unpublished music. Its present conductor, Gary Ekkel founded Schola Cantorum of Melbourne in 1994. In the following year it presented the first performances since the sixteenth century of works by Morales and Guerrero in the recently discovered Granada MS. 975 manuscript. Schola Cantorum of Melbourne performed the Mediaeval Easter Play,'Visitatio Sepulchri' as part of the Melbourne International Festival of Organ and Harpsichord in 1996. The following year it produced a second Mediaeval play,'The Voice of Rachel' for the feasts of Christmas and Holy Innocents. The women of Schola Cantorum of Melbourne sang the female chant in the television documentary Tuscany. The choir has had its own three-concert subscription series since 1995. It is resident at Newman College, The University of Melbourne, where it sings in regular services.
Schola Cantorum of Melbourne is featured on the following titles
O Rose So Red
Melbourne-based Schola Cantorum, directed by Gary Ekkel, present chants, songs and motets that honour the Virgin Mary across more than a thousand years of sacred repertoire.
The Litanies of St. Francis Xavier
A generous 2-CD set of Jan Dismas Zelenka’s liturgical music from the Schola Cantorum of Melbourne: the Litaniae Xaverianae, five Vespers psalms, the Magnificat in D and the Alma Redemptoris Mater.
Members of Schola Cantorum of Melbourne
Christopher Field
Christopher Field's teachers have included Stephen Grant and Hartley Newnham, and he has appeared in operatic roles with Opera Australia, Stopera and Co*Opera and has performed in concerts and festivals throughout Australia.
Rosemary Hodgson
Australian lutenist, Rosemary Hodgson maintains a vibrant career as soloist and chamber musician. Known for her remarkable sensitivity and technique, she has established an international reputation for outstanding concert presentations and solo lute recordings, of captivating subtlety.