Yale Schola Cantorum Tours Scandinavia

The internationally-renowned Yale Schola Cantorum (Schola), a chamber choir made up of students from across all of Yale University’s departments and professional schools, and Juilliard415, the period-instrument orchestra of Juilliard’s famous historical performance program will tour Scandinavia May 24–June 1 with public performances in Copenhagen, Lund, Västerås, Helsinki, and Oslo.

Schola performs sacred music from the sixteenth century to the present day in concert settings and choral services around the world. The ensemble is sponsored by Yale Institute of Sacred Music and conducted by David Hill; Masaaki Suzuki is principal guest conductor. In addition to performing regularly in New Haven and New York, the ensemble records and tours nationally and internationally. Schola’s 2018 recordings on the Hyperion label featuring Palestrina’s Missa Confitebor tibi Domine and Fauré’s Requiem have garnered enthusiastic reviews. On tour, Schola Cantorum has given performances in England, Hungary, France, China, South Korea, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Japan, Singapore, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, India, and Spain.

Principal conductor David Hill will lead Schola and Juilliard415 in performances of Josef Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Paweł Łukaszewski’s Ascensio Domini, recently premiered in New Haven and New York. Johann Christian Bach’s Grand Overture (Symphony) in D major, Op. 18, No. 4 opens the concert.

One of the finest Polish composers specializing in sacred and choral music, Paweł Łukaszewski (link is external)crafted Ascensio Domini on commission from the Institute of Sacred Music. The composer visited Yale in May to coach Schola and Juilliard415 for their performance in New Haven at Woolsey Hall.

David Hill’s long and distinguished career as one of the leading conductors in Europe has included appointments as chief conductor of the BBC Singers, musical director of the Bach Choir, and previous engagements as Master of Music at Westminster and Winchester Cathedrals, among others. With over one hundred recordings to his credit, Hill has performed virtually every style and period in the choral repertoire and was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2019 for his services to music. He has been on the Yale faculty since 2013.

Schola kicks off their tour with a Friday, May 24 performance in the Gustafs Church in Copenhagen. On Sunday, May 26 they will sing for an 11AM service at Lund Cathedral. Concert performances on May 27 in Västerås Cathedral and May 30 in Helsinki’s Rock Church follow. The tour’s final performance takes place Saturday, June 1 in the Oslo Domkirke. Visit the Scandinavia tour page for complete details.