The Pope Benedict XVI Schola is putting on a Candlemas concert on Feb. 2, 2013, to benefit the Knoxville Ladies of Charity.

The Christian feast of Candlemas, which falls on Feb. 2, rolls several celebrations into one: it’s the day on which the church marks the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple; the purification of the Virgin Mary, 40 days after the birth of her son; and, traditionally, the official end of the season of Epiphany.

The Schola’s repertory for the concert includes Gregorian chant and choral works in Latin and English by Palestrina, Purcell, Victoria, Byrd, Sheppard, Tye, and Vaughan Williams. Organist Charles Walden, music director of Holy Ghost Church, will also perform.

Schola members come from churches throughout Knoxville, and the group’s director is Mary C. Weaver.

Here are the concert details:

2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013
Holy Ghost Church
1041 N. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37917

Google map to the church

Buy tickets online with Eventbrite—

or at the door

Tickets cost $10

Proceeds benefit the Ladies of Charity, who do so much to help the poor in Knoxville. It’s amazing what they accomplish on a tiny budget–and no, they do not receive funds from Catholic Charities of East Tennessee.

Please e-mail or call me (865-437-8620) with any questions–and please mark your calendar. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mary

Tonight is the final rehearsal before our concert this Saturday. (E-mail for details.)

In the concert program, I'm inviting interested choristers to contact me or visit this page for more information about the schola.

We're looking for singers in all voice parts. Members must be able to read music, and they must have the musicianship to blend with a small ensemble.

We sing primarily the music of the Roman Catholic Church—Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and some later works—but members of all faiths are welcome.

If you don't know how to read Gregorian chant, don't worry—we'll teach you, and learning square notation is easier than you might think.

The B16 Schola is preparing its first concert: 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010, at Holy Ghost Church near downtown Knoxville.

We hope to see you there! (For details, e-mail me.)

Choral sets will include works from Byrd to Bruckner, with a fairly heavy emphasis on the Renaissance period. Our friend Charles Walden will perform two organ sets in between.

There’s no charge for the concert, but we will take up a free-will offering. Donations will benefit Holy Ghost, which has been so welcoming to us, and the schola’s music budget.

Here are specifics for the choral music (subject to slight changes):

Set 1

• Oremus pro pontifice (chant)
• Hassler: Dixit Maria
• Bruckner: Locus Iste
• Jesu dulcis memoria (chant)
• Monteverdi: O bone Jesu
• Ubi caritas (chant)

Set 2 (all English)

• Purcell: Thou knowest, Lord
• Morley: Magnificat
• Byrd: Lord, hear my prayer instantly
• Farrant: Lord, for thy tender mercy's sake
• Stainer: God so loved the world

Set 3

• Crux fidelis (chant, performed in English)
• Mozart: Ave verum corpus
• Palestrina: Jesu rex admirabilis
• Salve regina (chant)
•  
• Vivaldi: In memoria aeterna, from Beatus Vir