Biography

The Mater Dei Choir was born in Ispica in 1995 at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in order to make the main religious holidays solemn. Gradually he began to range with the widest repertoire and to perform concerts not only in Ispica and the province of Ragusa, but also in the various provinces of Sicily up to the Cathedral of Monreale in the presence of Cardinal Romeo. In addition, the morning Mass in Santa Maria degli Angeli (Assisi) on the occasion of The Day of Forgiveness and a Holy Mass in the Church of Santa Rita da Cascia in Cascia were animated. In addition to the traditional Concerts, the Choir has also ventured into the performance of songs that tell the origins of music up to the present day, thus singing songs in Lingua d’Oc, ballads, minuets, songs by Branduardi and songs of the Neapolitan tradition. In April 2010 the Choir animated the solemn Mass in the Melkite Greek-Catholic rite on the occasion of the visit of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch His Beatitude Gregory III Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem.
The repertoire ranges from the Liturgical, the traditional, the Classical (Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel…), including choirs from Opera Literature.
From its foundation to 2016 it was directed by the late Maestro Corrado Iacono, who was succeeded in the following 5 years by Maestro Carmela Avola. The current Director is Maestro Giannino Amore.

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