Biography

The chamber choir “Orlando di Lasso” was born in 2018 and is composed of Mantuan and Veronese choristers, for the most part coming from a previous experience in the choral group “Il Bell’Umore”.

The repertoire of the choir focuses mainly on sacred polyphony, with some visits to the early Baroque and the profane: with the name “Orlando di Lasso” we wanted to pay tribute to one of the greatest musicians of the 16th century, the golden age of polyphony.

The group collaborates permanently with the Discàntica choir and with the Association “Castel d’Ario per la Musica” for the organization of events and concerts.

Among the most significant participations of the two groups, we remember the following:

– “The Songs of David”, commemoration of 80 years after the racial laws at the Synagogue of Verona with the Choir of the Bar Association of Verona, the Lorenzo Perosi Choir of Verona and the collaboration of Maestro Paolo De Zen (2018)

– Concert “Music for Vespasian” at the Teatro all’Antica in Sabbioneta (MN), in conjunction with the guided tour of the exhibition of works by Federico Heidkamp Gonzaga “Vespasiano allo specchio” at Palazzo Ducale curated by Alfredo Balzanelli (2018)

– Public evening “Memories of the Shoah” in Verona (2019)

– Concert “Cantate Domino omnis Terra” with music by Salomone Rossi, Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Gregorio Allegri at San Francesco in Mantua, with Maestro Federico Franzoni, Corale Discàntica and the collaboration of Maestro Michael Guastalla (2019)

– Concert “Lauda Jerusalem Dominum” with music by Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi, Tomàs Luìs De Victoria, Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Gregorio Allegri at the Basilica Polironiana in San Benedetto Po, with Maestro Federico Franzoni, Corale Discàntica and the collaboration of Maestro Michael Guastalla (2019)

– Concert in Camerino, as part of the Festival “Terra d’organi antichi”, organized by Maestro Maurizio Maffezzoli, with madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi and sacred music Henry Purcell (2019)

– Christmas concerts in Castel d’Ario (Parish Church) with Corale Discàntica and Verona (Church of S. Stefano) with the performance of The Messe de minuit by Charpentier, in collaboration with Alessandra Carra, Laura Martini and Federico Franzoni (2019)

– Concerts, prayer and music meetings, religious celebrations in the Churches of Castel d’Ario (MN), San Lorenzo in Verona, Valeggio sul Mincio (VR), San Rocco in Villafranca (VR), Scorzarolo (MN) with the Discàntica choir

– Concerts and speeches on the occasion of presentations of events at the Diocesan Museum of Mantua and the Palatine Chapel of Santa Barbara in Mantua

– Presentations of publications (in particular “Christian, Jewish and Arab” music for the book “Jerusalem” by Sandra Manzella at Sala Morone in Verona and the Diocesan Museum of Mantua)

Currently the choir is composed of: Rossana Bembo, Giulia Bonente, Patrizia Grespan, Chiara Lasagna, Chiara Pezzini, Maria Enrica Soldi, Elisa Travenzoli, Enrico Fazzi, Paolo Girardi, Michael Guastalla, Marco Morselli, Francesco Negrelli, Gabriele Rebecchi, Stefano Roncaia.

The direction of the group is managed by Maestro Michael Guastalla.

The choir often performs a cappella, but on some occasions it avails itself of the precious collaboration of some instrumentalist friends:

Carlo Benatti (organ and piano), Alessandra Binco (violin), Alessandra Carra (violin), Federico Franzoni (organ), Gianni Grigolato (viola), Maurizio Maffezzoli (organ), Laura Martini (violin), Marco Remondini (cello) and Roberta Visentini (clarinet).

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