Cathedral Choral Society and Washington Bach Consort Join Forces to Celebrate Baroque Music from Mexico City's Cathedral

WASHINGTON – The GRAMMY-nominated Cathedral Choral Society (CCS), its Music Director Steven Fox and Washington Bach Consort will present Two Cathedrals: Baroque Splendor from Mexico City on October 22 at Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC).  Tickets are $20-98 and can be purchased via: http://cathedralchoralsociety.org/tickets  

"There's a great deal of joy in this music,” Fox said. “The brightness of choirs singing in polyphony or in antiphony with each other, together with orchestra, with trumpets and drums, this symbolizes the collision of cultures on this program in such a beautiful way.” 

Two Cathedrals: Baroque Splendor from Mexico City celebrates the diverse music of the Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María a los cielos. The European-style cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813, directly on top of an Aztec temple. The collision of cultures, due to the Spanish’s invasion of the region, resulted in Baroque music with North American influences. CCS and the Washington Bach Consort will perform works by Joan Batista Sanxo, Ignacio de Jerusalem, Manuel de Zumaya and more.  

"These composers are not just part of the history of Mexico City. They are part of the history of American music,” Fox said. "Their music came up through the California missions and I think that the repertoire audiences will hear in this concert is actually a very strong part of our American musical heritage." 

TWO CATHEDRALS: 
BAROQUE SPLENDOR FROM MEXICO CITY 
With the Washington Bach Consort 
DATE: Sunday, October 22 at 4 PM 
 
Repertoire:  
Instrumental Procession from Missa de los Angeles: Joan Batista Sanxo 
Kyrie from Missa de Los Angeles: Joan Batista Sanxo 
Como Aunque Culpa: Manuel de Zumaya 
In horrore visionis: Francisco Lopez Capillas 
Gaitas y cumbees: Santiago de Murcia 
Kyrie from Misa en Sol: Ignacio de Jerusalem 
Versa est in luctum: Juan Gutierrez de Padilla 
Sol-fa de Pedro: Manuel de Zumaya 
Tarantella: Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz 
Allelulia: Dic Nobis, Maria Capillas 
Celebren, publiquen: Manuel de Zumaya 
Polychoral Mass in D: Ignacio de Jerusalem 

 
Cathedral Choral Society  
As Washington, DC’s oldest symphonic chorus, the GRAMMY-nominated Cathedral Choral Society continues to set the standard for vibrant, engaging concerts in one of the world’s most important places of worship. Each season, CCS presents four mainstage concerts in Washington National Cathedral, and in its programming, the chorus commits itself to presenting works from many musical traditions that challenge, excite, and inspire audiences. 

The Washington Bach Consort 

Founded in 1977 by the late Dr. J. Reilly Lewis, the Washington Bach Consort is a professional choral and period-instrument ensemble based in Washington, DC, led since 2018 by Artistic Director, Dr. Dana Marsh, presenting over 25 live concerts each season. 

The Bach Consort is noted for its historically informed performances of 18th-century music on period instruments. As one of the DC area’s most critically acclaimed and nationally recognized performing ensembles, the ensemble has made regular appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington Performing Arts, and the Cathedral Choral Society. In addition, the group has appeared at numerous festivals and a number of European tours. Recordings include Bach’s complete motets, both J.S. and C.P.E. Bach’s Magnificats, the first American recording of the masses in F major and G minor, and three solo soprano cantatas with opera luminary Elizabeth Futral. Having completed Bach’s entire 215-cantata cycle, the Consort continues to present these works free of cost to the Washington DC public. In association with this monumental achievement, the Library of Congress welcomed the Washington Bach Consort performance recording and concert program archives into its permanent collection. 

In August 2018, the Bach Consort welcomed Dana Marsh as its new Artistic Director. Acclaimed by The Washington Post as “a superb choral conductor, energetic and precise,” Marsh has worked variously as an accomplished organist, vocalist, conductor and musicologist. He is Professor of Music and Director of the Historical Performance Institute at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. 

In May 2019, the Council of the District of Columbia honored the Washington Bach Consort in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the Consort’s annual series of free classical music performances. In a written proclamation, the Council cited the Consort’s musical mission to “enrich the quality of life” by “recognizing that not everyone is able to afford a regular subscription concert ticket” and celebrated the Consort’s attempt to “reach as many people as possible.”  

Following a performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in December 2019, the Washington Post opined that the Bach Consort “could go head-to-head with period performance ensembles anywhere.” For further information please visit bachconsort.org 

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