Gloriæ Dei Cantores Presents the Lenten Concerts, 3/7-8

Gloriæ Dei Cantores, the internationally acclaimed choir from Orleans, Massachusetts that celebrated its 25thanniversary in 2013, embarks on its 2014 concert series at the Church of the Transfiguration in Orleans with Lenten Concerts on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8 at 7:30pm. The repertoire features two Baroque choral masterpieces, with orchestra: Jesu, der du meine Seele by J.S. Bach and Membra Jesu nostri by Dieterich Buxtehude. (Additional concert dates in the 2014 series include July 11-12, July 25-26, and Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Please visit www.gdcchoir.org for details.)

Concert Times and Location

Concert times are Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Transfiguration, Rock Harbor, Orleans, Cape Cod (5 Bay View Drive, Orleans, MA). Tickets are $35 ($30 for Seniors, FREE for students and ages 18 and under). A Pre-Concert Lecture takes place at 6:45 p.m., and a reception follows the concert. For more information and reservations, call 508-240-2400. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.gdcchoir.org.

Concert Repertoire

Gloriæ Dei Cantores opens the concert with the cantata Jesu, der du meine Seele S. 78 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Bach wrote this cantata during his tenure at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig for the 14th Sunday after Trinity, and first performed it on September 10, 1724. Membra Jesu nostri, the full title of which is translated The Most Holy Limbs of Our Suffering Jesus, is a cycle of seven cantatas written specifically for Holy Week by Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707). Buxtehude was a major influence on Bach in his early years, and was formative in Bach's compositional style.

About Gloriæ Dei Cantores

Gloriæ Dei Cantores from Cape Cod, MA has touched the hearts of audiences in 23 countries in Europe, Russia, and North America, receiving extensive critical acclaim for its artistic elegance, performance authenticity, and compelling spirituality. "Beautifully finished but richly emotional" BOSTON GLOBE; "Seamless ensemble, seductive phrasing" LOS ANGELES TIMES. Distributed by Harmonia Mundi, USA, the choir's catalog of more than 50 recordings showcases their extensive repertoire, encompassing both masterworks and rarely performed musical treasures from Gregorian chant to the 21st century. "Lovely, pure and radiant" GRAMOPHONE; "Rapturous a capella passages" CHICAGO TRIBUNE.

Highlights of the choir's career under Director Elizabeth Patterson include three invitational tours of Russia, opening the 900thanniversary of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, live radio and television broadcasts with the BBC, the soundtrack ofLorenzo's Oil, Tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza, and performances in some of the finest concert halls throughout Europe and the United States.

The choir's collaborative ventures have included ten Holiday Tours with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra, sixteen-city US tour of Mozart's Requiem with Philippe Entremont and the Munich Symphony Orchestra (Columbia Artists, CAMI, LLC), performances of Mozart's Requiem with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia, and world premiere concerts and recordings with Grammy-award-winning artist Mark O'Connor.

Gloriæ Dei Cantores makes its home at the Church of the Transfiguration in Orleans, MA (churchofthetransfiguration.org).