'O stellae!' Concert by Civitas

Entitled ‘O stellae!’ (Oh Stars!), this concert will be a programme of sacred and secular works by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), featuring the 4-Voice Mass da cappella from his 1640 collection Selva morale e spirituale, together with motets and madrigals from his Fourth (1603) and Fifth Books of Madrigals (1605). Some of the madrigals will be performed in both their original secular Italian forms and as adapted with sacred Latin texts by Aquilino Coppini in 1607 and 1609.

 Civitas (Latin for ‘city’ or ‘state’) is a mixed vocal ensemble of City University London students chosen by audition. Its mission is to serve both the university community and the general public with a culturally diverse and challenging range of early and contemporary choral and vocal chamber music.

 Director Alexander Lingas is a Senior Lecturer in Centre for Music Studies of the Department of Creative Practice and Enterprise at City University London. A former conductor of the university’s Chamber Choir, he is the founding director of the American-based vocal ensemble Cappella Romana. With Cappella Romana he has recorded over a dozen compact discs, been featured in numerous radio broadcasts, and appeared in concert in at prestigious venues in five countries.