Internationally acclaimed choir to bring rare concert of forgotten ancient music to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury will host a rare musical event this month when centuries old chants – silenced for almost a millennia – will be heard again for the first time in the modern era.
Billed as “a once-in-a-lifetime” experience, the concert will bring the forgotten sounds of early and Medieval Christianity back to life, including music rediscovered in the library of one of the oldest monasteries in the world.
The concert, at Shrewsbury Cathedral on May 25, will see performances by two choirs – the internationally-acclaimed Chronos Ensemble, who are experts in Byzantine, early Christian and Medieval music; and the UK-based Mosaic Choir, which specialises in liturgical music drawn from Orthodox traditions and folk music from different countries.
The concert will feature liturgical works spanning centuries and traditions, including world premieres of 11th to 14th-century compositions discovered in the ancient library of the 6th century Monastery of St Catherine’s, on Mount Sinai, Egypt.
These works have been meticulously transcribed from original manuscripts by Evgeny Skurat, the director of the Chronos Ensemble and a historical music expert.
"These manuscripts have been waiting silently for centuries to be heard again. Through careful transcription and historical performance practices, we can now experience these sounds much as they would have been heard in medieval monasteries and cathedrals long ago," said Skurat.
The concert is part of the Nicaea 2025 festival that is taking place in Shrewsbury, in May and June, marking worldwide celebrations of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, held in 325AD, a pivotal event in the history of Christianity.
“The concert will be a once-in-a-lifetime musical event. Music lovers, history enthusiasts, and spiritual seekers alike will experience an evening of profound beauty and rare musical heritage,” said Sarah Hart, a spokesperson for the festival.
“The Voices of Nicaea concert will be an unforgettable evening, giving an authentic glimpse into the sounds of Medieval Christianity and the ancient music of the early Christian church.”
The programme will include rare Byzantine chants dedicated to the ‘holy fathers of the First Council of Nicaea’, the earliest notated versions of the famous Nicene Creed and the rediscovered works.
Compositions of European Medieval music from British sources will also be performed for the first time in centuries, including Gregorian chant.
The Chronos Ensemble, founded in 2012 and currently based in Paris, draws together talented musicians, from across Europe, with expertise spanning Medieval European, Gregorian, Byzantine and eastern Mediterranean musical practices.
The Nicaea 2025 festival has been organised by the Shrewsbury Orthodox Church. Other events include an exhibition of holy icons, at St Julian’s Church, by leading British icon painters, from May 24 to June 6.
For further information on the concert click here.
