London, England, Jul 16, 2019 / 17:01 pm
Franciscan mission priest St. Junipero Serra would perhaps recognize some of the music that will be sung in an upcoming tour of the London Oratory Schola Cantorum Boys Choir in Utah and California, which will include three of the Spanish missions.
The schola, perhaps best known for its work featured in the soundtracks for the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films, chose the missions for their next tour because of the many invitations they have received to sing in the area. But most of all, they chose them because they will be singing music from their new album entitled "Sacred Treasures of Spain."
"The Spanish history behind the missions is of immense significance, and ties in with the repertoire which we are singing," Charles Cole, the director of the boy's choir, told CNA.
"Many pieces of Spanish Renaissance music and indeed composers themselves crossed over to New Spain and have become part of an amazing and beautiful heritage which reaches into the chain of missions. So singing this music in those beautiful churches has a resonance and appeal which was too much to resist," Cole added.