THE CHOIR
Coro San Giorgio is a polyphonic choir of mixed voices composed of about forty members. Founded in 1989, it carries out religious service at San Giorgio (St. George) parish church situated at Acquate in the town of Lecco, where it gives regular concerts during the year. Coro San Giorgio is member of the “Consulta Musicale” (i.e. town music council).
The choir’s repertoire ranges from Renaissance motets to contemporary music, both a cappella and with orchestral accompaniment, reserving a special space to negro-spirituals. Since 1994 the choir has set up a training school for choral singing addressed to children, attended by about forty pupils.
The Choir
In 1995 Coro San Giorgio took part in the 9th “International Choral Singing Festival” of Vranov Nad Top’lou (Slovak Republic).
In 1997 it performed at the national contests of polyphonic executions in the Italian towns of Quarona Sesia and Quartiano, achieving the second place in the “Gospel and Spiritual” category in both contests.
In 1998 the choir went on a tour in Ireland, where it took part in the Neidin Kelliher Festival, giving concerts in Dingle, Limerick and Tralee. On that occasion it performed Arvo Part’s Berliner Messe and, in world’s preview, A. O’Leary’s Mass Of St. John, discovered recently, together with the Kerry Chamber Choir.
In 1999 Coro San Giorgio gave concerts in Foligno and Assisi, at St. Francis’s Basilica.
In 2000, on the occasion of the jubilee events, it performed in Indemini (Switzerland) and took part in the meeting of choirs from St. Ambrose’s diocese held in Rome, where it sang at St. Peter’s Basilica and San Paolo Fuori Le Mura Church. In the same year the choir recorded Witness, a CD of negro-spiritual songs a cappella.
In 2001 it gave concerts in Budapest (Hungary) on the occasion of the international festival “Lajos Bardos Musical Weeks”.
In 2002 Coro San Giorgio recorded Una Rosa E’ Nata, a CD of traditional Christmas songs.
In 2004 the choir was invited to the 10th festival of choral singing “Lorenzo Perosi” in Olbia (Italy).
In 2006 it was invited to the 30th edition of the international festival “Cori Settembre” in Acqui Terme (Italy) and took part in the 3rd International Festival Of Choral Singing of Barcelona (Spain).
In 2008 the choir gave two concerts in Munich (Germany).
In the same years it performed important symphony/choir works, such as J. S. Bach’s Matthaeus Passion, L. Perosi’s Il Natale Del Redentore, F. Poulanc’s Gloria, with other choirs of Lecco, working in collaboration with the music association “Harmonia Gentium”.
In 2009, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the choir’s foundation, it organized the choral festival “Acquate In Coro: Canti Per Marzia”, inviting four choirs of Lecco province to sing.
In 2010 the choir took part in the 16th edition of the festival of choral singing “Lorenzo Perosi” in Olbia (Italy).
In 2011 it planned and realized with St. Maximilian Choir of Munich (Germany) the project Duell(o): a plan of concert-exchange based on sacred choral music between Italy and Germany, articulated in two weekends with the execution of four concerts (in Munich, Ingolstadt, Lecco and Bergamo); the live recordings of the project led to the realization of the CD Duell(o).
On 22nd December 2011 in the Town Council Hall, Coro San Giorgio received from the hands of the prefect (local representative of the government) and the mayor of Lecco an award of recognition as “a group of national interest”, given by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the president of the national authority in charge of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the unity for Italy.
THE CHOIR CONDUCTOR
Gianmarco Aondio has been the choir conductor since its foundation.
He has a degree in Medicine and Surgery.
He has studied choir direction with Maestri M. Pigazzini, D. Innominato and G. Graden.
It is possible to contact the conductor by e-mail at the following address:
direttore@corosangiorgio.it.
SACRED MUSIC LINK AUDIO
SECULAR MUSIC LINK VIDEO
SPIRITUALS