Last night in the Oratory we all enjoyed a fabulous concert by the Birmingham based ensemble Ex Cathedra, conducted by Jeffrey Skidmore. We had a Giovanni Gabrieli mass setting for double choir and instrumentalists as well as a series of motets by him which were composed for the basilica of St. Mark's, Venice. This involved several groups singing from the main body of the church and from the rear gallery, and it was a most impressive sound.
Ex Cathedra is a professional ensemble who use the Birmingham Oratory as a base for their rehearsals and for many of their concerts, and our Fr. Guy sings tenor with them. They perform a wide variety of repertoire, focusing in particular in early and baroque church music from Latin America. Many of their singers also come to sing in the Oratory choir, and hence I have a number of friends who sing with them. They usually sing in our church around six times a year.
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