FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Powell, 206.683.9543 or 503.236.8202 info@cappellaromana.org

Cappella Romana to Record New CD of
THE DIVINE LITURGY IN ENGLISH
SUNG TO BYZANTINE CHANT

4 August 2005 — Portland, Ore., Seattle, Wash. Following the successful release of Cappella Romana's latest CD "Lay Aside All Earthly Cares," Cappella Romana will enter the studio again August 6-10 for a groundbreaking recording of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English set to traditional Byzantine chant.

Part of Cappella Romana's three-year program, "Excellence for Orthodox Liturgical Music in English," this recording will be complemented by published musical scores in Byzantine and Western notation. On its own, the recording will be treasured by lovers of Byzantine chant and Orthodox liturgy. Together with its companion scores and editorial notes, it will be a valuable educational and liturgical resource.

The Recording
The music will be sung by the male voices of Cappella Romana in the splendid acoustics of Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle, where the ensemble regularly gives concerts. The deacon's portions of the service will be chanted by the Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, while the Very Rev. Dr. Meletios Webber will serve as celebrant. The producer will be multiple Grammy-award winner Steve Barnett, who is currently supervising post-production of two forthcoming Cappella Romana recordings ("Fall of Constantinople" and "Byzantium in Rome"). Athenian cantor and scholar Ioannis Arvanitis will also serve as a stylistic consultant at the recording sessions.

The Musical Settings
An international editorial committee chaired by Cappella's artistic director, Dr. Alexander Lingas, chose the original Greek chants--representing the most spiritually and historically authoritative traditions of Byzantine liturgical singing--to serve as models for the English settings. The final versions of the English scores were prepared by John M. Boyer in both Byzantine and Western notation. An innovative feature of this project is the presentation of the Western versions of the chants on two staves: a) a direct and unornamented transcription of the Byzantine notation; and b) one possible rendering of the Byzantine characters in the light of oral tradition. See sample below. The scores will be published through PSALM, the Pan-Orthodox Society for the Advancement of Liturgical Music.

The Text
With the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios, this project will employ the official translation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. A careful and theologically sound rendering of the original Greek into reverent modern English, this translation was produced in 1995 by some of world Orthodoxy's leading scholars, including Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash), the Rev. Dr. Andrew Louth, and Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia.

Funding and support
This program is supported in part by a leadership grant from the Virginia H. Farah Foundation, which covers about 42% of the $32,000 budget. To complete the project, Cappella Romana is in the midst of a campaign to raise the funds needed by next spring to release the CD. Individual donors are encouraged to add their support to this important groundbreaking project. Please contact executive director Mark Powell for more information.

About Cappella Romana
Based in the Pacific Northwest, Cappella Romana presents a regular series concerts in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. The ensemble made its European debut in March 2004 at the Byzantine Festival in London, performing to over 2,000 people in St. Paul's Cathedral. In 2005 it completed its first tour to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Its New York debut took place in April 2004 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the exhibit "Byzantium: Faith and Power 1261-1557." Yale University, Princeton University, the Holy Trinity Cultural Series (Indianapolis), and the Bloomington (Indiana) Early Music Festival also presented the ensemble, as well as the J. Paul Getty Museum in November 2004.

Directed by founder Dr. Alexander Lingas, Cappella Romana is a vocal chamber ensemble dedicated to combining passion with scholarship in its exploration of the musical traditions of the Christian East and West, with emphasis on early and contemporary music. Performing music of the Three Romes, its name is derived from the medieval concept of the Roman oikoumene (inhabited world), which included not only "Old" Rome and Western Europe but also "New Rome" (Constantinople) and the commonwealth of Slavic countries.

For further information, please call (503) 236-8202 or (206) 683-9543
Email: info@cappellaromana.org • Web www.cappellaromana.org

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