Swedish Choir ‘Olaus Petris Vocalis’ to Perform Bach

Prize-winning Swedish Choir ‘Olaus Petris Vocalis’ to Perform Bach at Arlington’s St. George’s Church on Friday, June 27 at 7:30 pm

The prize-winning Swedish choir ‘Olaus Petri Vocalis,’ [oh-lah-ooss pet-tree voh-kah-leess] will perform on Friday, June 27 at 7:30 pm at Saint George’s Episcopal Church, located at 915 N. Oakland St., Arlington, VA at the Virginia Square Metro.  Particularly known for their ‘a cappella’ [ah-kah  pel-lah] or unaccompanied singing, the 16-member group will perform works by J.S. Bach, Palestrina, Herbert Howells and Swedish composers in the highly praised acoustics of Saint George’s beautiful stained glass ornamented church nave.  Suggested donation is $20.  The group will also sing at the 11:15 am service on Sunday, June 29 at the Washington National Cathedral.   Olaus Petri Vocalis has toured England, Wales, Germany, Italy, Finland and Iceland.  This tour marks their American debut.

Olaus Petri Vocalis took first place in the 2011 international choir competition ‘Musica Sacra a Roma’ in the category of ‘Mixed choir a cappella.’ They received two special prizes for best performances at the competition, and sang at the great St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.  In 2012 they were chosen to represent Sweden in the Nordic Symposium in Reykjavik, Iceland where they performed both Swedish music and a world premiere by Per Gunnar Petersson.  In 2013 they presented multiple performances of Handel’s Messiah in a cast of leading soloists including Dame Emma Kirkby, and they recently performed several Bach cantatas with the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble of Stockholm.  

Led by conductor Mats Bertilsson, Olaus Petri Vocalis is based at the massive church of Olaus Petri in Örebro, Sweden where they sing solemn masses and give concerts every year.  Along with Bach, Palestrina, and Howells their extensive repertory includes Brahms, Poulenc, Holst, Tallis, Frank Martin and a number of Swedish composers.  An expert in J.S. Bach’s vocal music and student of the late Eric Ericson, Maestro Mats Bertilsson has led all of Bach’s oratorios and passions, and 45 of the cantatas.

Saint George’s Episcopal Church, founded 106 years ago, offers classical and jazz concerts as well as special services throughout the year which highlight a variety of guest and parish musicians and ensembles.  For more information visit http://saintgeorgeschurch.org/music/music-eventsor call 703/525-8286.  Saint George’s is a vibrant, inclusive, multi-faceted faith community where everyone is welcome with no exceptions, believing that inclusion is a Gospel value.