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The joy of singing together Mundus Cantat Ecumenical and interreligious encounters of world choirs |
The Mundus
Cantat movement is not a prize competition. Through international meetings, it
promotes unity among choirs from different countries and continents around the
globe. It offers spaces with a focus on internationality, in which choral
singing with a joyous, altruistic and liberating spirit embodied is embraced as
a constructive message for a world in crisis.
The choral meetings in Rome have a unique character. In addition to musical, spiritual and religious programmes (such as the various choral concerts or the opportunity to see the Pope during a general audience at the Vatican), the city chosen for these events – Rome – also offers a unique opportunity to link music with art, architecture, painting and sculpture, as well as spiritual tourism. Indeed, one of the eminent figures of world culture, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, considered the Eternal City, the Patria Omnium of the ancient world, the source of his knowledge and his “elementary school”.
Mundus Cantat valorises the human voice – the “most beautiful instrument” we have – and thus also choirs as the best possible social gathering. Uncoincidentally, when Giuseppe Di Stefano, one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century, agreed to serve as the Academy’s honorary president, a position he held until his death in 2008, he promptly sent his warm greetings to the amateur singers of Mundus Cantat.
The various occasions for encounter and, above all, the preparation of public concerts encourage mutual knowledge, the formation of friendships and the useful exchange of ideas and addresses. Above all, however, the presence of choirs from different countries and even different creeds – starting with those present in Rome – represent an extraordinary opportunity to experience tangible ecumenism. In the 1960s Josef Juhar came up with the idea of using the magical power of music to promote ecumenism, and many years later this led to the first Mundus Cantat encounter in Orvieto in 1996. The 2008 and 2009 encounters coincided with the PAULINE YEAR. Naturally, the main choral event – the ECUMENICAL CHORAL CELEBRATION – was held at the basilica built over the tomb of the “Apostle of the Gentiles”: San Paolo fuori le Mura in Rome.
For details: Details on the goals and history