We start with the Angelus at 6 p.m. and Vespers lasts about 30 minutes. Vespers are held in the Shrine of La Leche near the Great Cross. Free parking is available in the Mission's lot near the Shrine Gift Shop. There's chant and polyphony, Latin and English. All are always welcome! The full schedule of Vespers for 2012 is up on the Calendar page. Join Cantorae for Vespers on April 27th. We're very late in the month because of Easter, an out-of-town workshop, and the CPS Festival (no vespers can compete with the carnival rides).
In the meantime, you can come to the Shrine for Evening Prayer on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. This is all in English and sung by everyone to a very simple chant. Come and enjoy this prayerful midweek "refresher" with us. Join the prayer of the universal church - monasteries, convents, parishes, and others close out the day with this service.
Cantorae triumphs in Tallahassee! We have a wonderful time performing at the Museum of Florida History's Age of Exploration exhibit opening on March 3, 2012. As people entered the museum, they heard our chants, medieval and Renaissance polyphony, instantly transporting them to the world of the European explorers of Florida. Director Mary Jane Ballou added some rich instrumentals on the harp - dances, variations, and other tunes from Spain, France and England - music to entertain the wealthy. We can hardly wait for the museum to open the next part of the exhibition and invite us back!
Founded in 2007 as the St. Augustine Schola Cantorae and directed by Mary Jane Ballou, Cantorae has established its place in St. Augustine, Florida, with a monthly Vespers at the Shrine of La Leche on the old Mission grounds. We have also sung for Founder's Day Masses, special Compline services at the Cathedral-Basilica, and weddings and other special events.
Chant arrived in the Ancient City, as St. Augustine, Florida likes to call itself, on September 8, 1565. The Te Deum was sung as Pedro Menendez de Aviles stepped ashore and claimed La Florida for Spain. A chain of over 150 Franciscan missions stretched from St. Augustine up into Georgia and across to Tallahassee long before the famous missions of California. Music traveled with the friars as they made their way through the flatwood forests and coastal marshes. So we are part of a long tradition.
The best way to know more about us is to hear us. You'll find some sound clips on this site, as well as a calendar of upcoming events. Come and share the music!
Cantorae St. Augustine - Women's Voices in Chant and Sacred Song
