In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Society of Jesus, the music of Christopher Willcock, S.J., will be performed by the Holy Cross Schola Cantorum and the Holy Cross College Choir, under the direction of James David Christie and David Harris respectively, along with organist, Abraham Ross ’16. The performance will take place on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. It is free, open to the public, and handicap accessible.
The program will include the premiere of Fr. Willcock’s “Mass in Honor of Pope Francis,” commissioned by Holy Cross. In addition, choral motets and solo organ works of Fr. Willcock will be performed.
Fr. Willcock was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1977 and then attended doctoral studies in sacramental and liturgical theology at the Institut Catholique in Paris conjointly with University of Paris, Sorbonne. In the field of liturgical choral music, he has published and recorded six collections and was the winner of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award.
The Schola Cantorum sings under the direction of James David Christie, Distinguished Artist in Residence and College organist; the Schola regularly sings at the 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. The Holy Cross College Choir, the largest and most widely received ensemble at the College, is directed by David Harris, a champion of new music and long-forgotten choral works.
Holy Cross Organ Scholar Abraham Ross is a member of the class of 2016. He was a 2014 recipient of a Mellon Summer Research grant, which allowed him to intensively study the music of Girolamo Frescobaldi in Italy this past summer. He has performed many solo recitals in Worcester, Boston, and throughout New England.
Future performances of the 2014-2015 concert series include:
- Sunday, Apr. 12 - William Porter, organist
For more information about any of the performances in the Chapel Artists Series, please call the music department at (508) 793-2296, or visit the department's website.
