October 8, 2004

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Bud Bunce (503) 233-8373
bbunce@archdpdx.org
 

Archdiocese welcomes the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble in concert

        The Archdiocese of Portland announced today that it will host the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble (SAVAE) in three concerts to benefit the Multicultural Outreach of the archdiocese. Concerts will be held on Friday, December 10th, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Medford, at 7:00 pm; Saturday, December 11th, at St. Paul Catholic Church, Eugene at 8:00 pm; and Sunday, December 12th, at St Mary’s Cathedral, Portland, beginning at 2:00 pm. The concerts will be part of the wider celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day is celebrated on December 12th each year.

        SAVAE has been featured several times on national radio, including National Public Radio’s Performance Today, Sound & Spirit, Latino USA, The Savvy Traveler, and Traveler Weekend Edition. Angela Mariani has twice featured the ensemble in hour-long specials on her nationally-syndicated radio program Harmonia. Producer John Dilberto traveled to San Antonio to record a “Living Room Concert” for his public radio show, Echoes. Reports about SAVAE and it’s groundbreaking approach to early world music have appeared in major daily papers including The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Kansas City Star, The Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Sun Times—and through Associated Press and United Press International wire stories—to cities far and wide.

        Artistic Director Christopher Moroney’s arrangements for SAVAE, published by World Library Publications, bring the ensemble’s unique approach to ancient music to an even wider audience. A respected champion of historically-informed early music performance, Mr. Moroney was featured in an article in Early Music America, and has been invited to serve as adjunct faculty at Catholic University’s Institute for Sacred Music.

        Consisting of seven multi-talented musicians, SAVAE is credited as being “equally adept at fa-la-la and sha-na-na.” The ensemble has been praised for mastering the “organ-like tone, exquisite balances,” and “wonderfully feathered dynamics” of Medieval and Renaissance vocal music; for “astonishing precision, purity, and style” interpreting contemporary vocal repertoire; for “supple, wonderfully spirited, in-the-groove” renditions of pop standards; and for its “trademark smooth sound and simpatico sense of ensemble.” As a complement to its polished vocal work, SAVAE accompanies its live performances on its impressive collection of ancient wind, string, and percussion instruments from Latin America and the Middle East.

        In describing a SAVAE concert, Music Critic Diane Windeler wrote: “Listening to The SAVAE’s recording of 2,000-year-old music is intriguing enough, but nothing can compare with seeing a live performance of this music. On every level, it was an affecting, revelatory performance.”

        The Archdiocese of Portland is excited about hosting SAVAE’s first Oregon appearance. “SAVAE will bring to our churches and communities the beautiful music that celebrates our biblical and Marian traditions,” said Deacon Thomas Gornick, Archdiocesan Director of Evangelization and event planner, “Our goal was to sponsor a celebration and concert that reach all part of the Western Oregon from Medford to Portland.” The cost is $10 per ticket at the door.

        Additional Information about the concerts and the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble are available on their website:  www.savae.org.

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