Florence, Italy [Raffaele Battista; CD-EUD News]. As I write the first line of this article, a tiny black speck catches myeye. That number 1 after the 30, gently rebukes me:
Why didn’t youwrite anythingon the occasionof the Thirtieth Anniversaryof the Cantores Aurorae Ensamble? Ultimately, you are a member of the association yourself; sometimes even conducting a short biblical devotional at the beginning of the rehearsals. That little voice is right. I joined the association in 2004, and last year was its thirtieth anniversary. The anniversary was celebrated by giving a concert (The Messiah of G.F. Haendel for choir and orchestra, 60 elements, in the Basilica of San Marco in Florence).
The concert was also an opportunity for a wonderful reunion. Old friends could again hug each other and sing together. This expresses more than anything else, the bond that unites and continues to tie people together, even many years later.
As you can imagine, in the course of its long history, the ensemble has had some artists who have remained throughout the years, representing the core of the choir. Others have had to leave, and still others have joined in recent years, coming from countries such as Romania or the USA. In the latter case, they are typically young people who are in Italy for a year, such as the students in the ACA (Adventist Colleges Abroad) program. The Ensemble is not only multi-ethnic, but also religiously diverse.
Brothers and sisters, Adventists and Catholics have been singing year after year now to the glory of Jesus Christ. For a time, we even had a woman of Muslim faith join us for an entire season of concerts.
Of course, to perform classical pieces of sacred music, artists such as Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn... can be frightening and lead to the belief that, both the Ensemble and the audience to whom the concert is addressed, belong to a cultural elite. Evidently, some members of the Ensemble are musicians, singers, or actors, but others are non-professional people who have just decided to dedicate their time to choral singing on a regular basis.
One of my favorite quotes from Gisela Willi Winandy, the co-founder of Cantores Aurorae Florentinae, says: "Do not worry, boys / girls. The angels will sing with you!"
I have not the slightest doubt that this is the case with our Ensemble. So many times I have seen faces in the audience that were deeply moved …and I know that such an emotion would have never been possible if we had relied only on ourselves!
However, I can never forget that the Cantores history contains the gentle faces of two charming ladies who have been very influential to us, struggling through thousands problems, both large and small.
“We have taken the baton left to us by Luigi Evangelisti (former Ensemble director) and before that by Gisela Willi Winandy (co-founder of Ensamble)” said Arcana Agnoletto, one of the members of the choir. “The memory left by so many intense moments of spiritual and artistic emotions was too significant to ignore the flame of musical vocation.”
The Ensemble has been driven in recent years by Laura Santini and Barbara Cherubini.
In the month of October 2012, the Ensamble had the pleasure of performing the last program, "When you meet theGrace...with words andwith music" (for voices, chorus and piano).
It was preformed in three churches of various denominations in Florence: the Romanian Adventist local church, the Catholic church in Peretola (an important Florentine district), and the Evangelical Baptist church (in the occasion of the Feast of the Reformation).
“Each time we had a concert we were greeted with the same enthusiasm,” said Esther Bouvet, member of the Ensamble, “it was nice to hear that particular echo coming from other communities in response to our testimony, and, at the same time, strengthening fraternal ties with those brothers and sisters who have been following and supporting this particular work.”
Since 2004 The Ensemble has achieved more than 30 concerts even though they are a self-supporting group.
“We have dedicated our penultimate concert to the memory of a friend and brother of ours who has recently died” added other member.
He was of catholic faith and he had been, until his very last day, a faithful and valuable point of reference in conducting interaction with other churches.
We have been committed for years to using music to lighten up our faith and have it become a way to communicate without boundaries with sincere people who are looking for the God that can be found among the notes of a melody.
