Contemporary Music & Sacred Music

Choir recitals in church settings are a popular item on the local cultural calendar. Any successful choir usually attracts a significant audience and a strong following of music lovers. However the repertoire chosen for these recitals is usually very conventional, conforming to the expectations of its target audience. The 5th event within the Contemporary Sounds concert series presents a choir and organ recital of 20th century and contemporary music challenging the audience to a whole new experience. The music selected for this event is all written in a modern idiom and yet it is all sacred music in the Roman Catholic ritual. In most churches the audience cannot appreciate the organist but for this concert the audience could experience the organ performance projected on a 5-metre screen installed above the choir. The screen was also used to project a video of a project by American composer Eric Whitacre featuring a virtual choir of 185 voices from 12 different countries connected via webcam interface. Supported by the MALTA ARTS FUND.