FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ian Martínez
Director of Communications
(773) 834-7965
imartinez@uchicago.edu

Tickets: (773) 702-8068

TALLIS SCHOLARS BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND AT ROCKEFELLER CHAPEL, MARCH 7

Chicago, Feb. 25, 2008 – Deviating slightly from their usual repertoire, the Tallis Scholars will present a program of 16th- and 17th-century choral works from Spain and Portugal on Friday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Under the direction of Peter Phillips, the acclaimed a capella vocal ensemble has already appeared several times on the University of Chicago Presents’ Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music Series, and returns this season by popular demand.

Three distinct generations of Portuguese musical heritage form the basis of the Tallis Scholars’ performance, specifically from the strong tradition of performance and education at the Évora Cathedral. Built in the 13th century, this massive structure that occupies the highest point of Évora, Portugal, served an integral role in the musical development of Portuguese composers for nearly 150 years. On this performance, works by Manuel Mendes, Manuel Cardoso, Duarte Lobo and Diogo Diaz Melgás—all of whom played important roles in the musical life of the cathedral—will be featured. The concert will conclude with one of the great masterpieces of Spanish Golden Age, Tomás Luis da Victoria’s 1605 Requiem.

Founded in 1973 by director Peter Phillips, the Grammy-nominated Tallis Scholars have established themselves as one of the world’s most-renowned exponents of Renaissance sacred music and perform nearly 70 concerts each year. In 1994 the group took part in the restoration celebration of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes, broadcast simultaneously on Italian and Japanese television. In recent years they have performed in various worldwide locations, including a July 2007 Royal Albert Hall appearance attended by more than 5,000 people.

Tallis Scholars director Peter Phillips has dedicated his life’s work to the research and performance of Renaissance harmony. After attending Oxford, he founded the Tallis Scholars, with whom he has appeared in more than 1,500 concerts and 50 recordings. Outside of his work with the Scholars, Phillips is a respected clinician and teacher, and he has recently been appointed director of music of the Choral Foundation at Merton College in Oxford.

TICKETS for this performance are $32 for general public or $5 for students with a valid ID and can be purchased by calling the University of Chicago Presents Concert Office at (773) 702-8068, or visiting 5720 S. Woodlawn Avenue on the University of Chicago campus.

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Friday / March 7 / 7:30 pm
The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips, director
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
Mendes: Asperges me
Cardoso: Lamentations
Lobo: Pater peccavi / Audivi vocem
Melgás: Ajuva nos / Domine hominem
Cardoso: Magnificat Secundi Toni
Victoria: Requiem

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The University of Chicago Presents is one of the city’s landmark classical music presenters on the campus of the University of Chicago in the heart of the city’s South Side. Among the musical legends who made their debuts at Mandel Hall are violinist Isaac Stern, guitarist Andres Segovia, soprano Cecilia Bartoli and The Juilliard String Quartet.

UCP offers five concert series—Classic Concert, the Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Artists-in-Residence Series featuring the Pacifica String Quartet, and the Contempo series.

TICKETS: By phone with credit card at (773) 702-8068; minimum $10 charge
In person with cash, check or credit card, weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
– Office of Professional Concerts, 5720 S. Woodlawn Ave.
– At Mandel Box Office after 6:30 p.m. on concert day
– By email at concert-office@uchicago.edu

LOCATION: Mandel Hall is located at 1131 E. 57th Street.

PARKING: Street or free in lot at 55th Street and Ellis Avenue

DISABILITIES: Persons with disabilities or who otherwise need assistance may call the Office of Professional Concerts at (773) 702-8068 prior to the concert, but no later than 3 p.m. on concert day.

PHOTOS: Photos of the artists may be obtained upon request to the University of Chicago Presents at (773) 834-7965, or by fax at (773) 834-5888. To download pictures directly from the web site, visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu/news/photos.

ONLINE: chicagopresents.uchicago.edu

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