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Schola Cantorum de Venezuela

About this Artist

The SCHOLA CANTORUM DE VENEZUELA was founded in 1967 by composer and conductor Alberto Grau. Its broad repertoire includes works from the Spanish, Italian, French, and English Renaissance periods, the German and Italian Baroque periods, an extensive collection of Venezuelan and Latin American music, and many works by international 20th-century composers. On many occasions these works have been national premieres, and, in some cases, world premieres.

In 1974, the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela became a foundation to promote choral singing in Venezuela. Since then, it has developed numerous programs ranging from choral festivals and communal singing to choir-conducting seminars and a variety of musical workshops. Equally it has been integral in supporting the development of the program Social Action through Music, which aims to stimulate and include into society, through orchestral and choral music, children and adolescents of deprived social backgrounds in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

On over 20 international tours, the Schola has participated in important festivals in America, Europe, and Oceania. The Schola’s impressive list of choral symphonic performances includes many works by the most notable composers in Latin America as well as the rest of the world. It has made 25 recordings, which span the various repertoire of choral music and symphonic choral masterworks.

The group has been conducted by highly respected national and international conductors. In 2000, the Schola premiered La Pasión según San Marcos by Osvaldo Golijov. It has toured this piece around the world, to growing critical acclaim. In 2006, the Schola took part in the world premiere of the opera A Flowering Tree by John Adams. It was produced by the well-known team of John Adams and Peter Sellars, and took place at the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna, as a conclusion to Mozart’s 250th anniversary year.