DALLAS & ROME, Nov 26, 2009 / FW/ — The Pope a rock star? He can be! His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is releasing “Alma Mater”, the first record ever featuring a singing pontiff.
Scheduled to hit music stores and available for download on November 29th, “Alma Mater” is also a Christmas album, which is not surprising because Christmas is one of the holiest times in the Catholic calendar. Formed around the chants that have been intoned in St. Peter’s Basilica for centuries, “Alma Mater” which is a 40-minute album features the voice of His Holiness for 10 minutes.
To celebrate the worldwide debut of this historical album, on December 2nd, the Vatican Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in a concert featuring the singer Yasemin Sannino, who will be wardrobed by Italian designer Michele Miglionico.
For that special evening, the Vatican choir will sing for the first time at the Westminster Abbey in London, followed by a performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra featuring the solo singer Yasemin Sannino who for the occasion, will wear an evening dress in Chantilly lace and iridescent organza from the Michele Miglionico haute couture line.
Born in Istanbul, Yasemin Sannino who started musical studies at the age of 10, is the only solo singer in the album “Alma Mater” to accompany the voice of Pope Benedict XVI singing the Marian payers of the song “Regina Coeli” in Latin, Italian, Portuguese, French and German.
The album contains eight original tracks of prayers, litanies and marian songs with some contemporary pieces of classical music performed by the Accademia Filarmonica Romana ,the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and by the composers Simon Boswell, Nour Eddine and Stefano Mainetti.
The proceeds from the sale of the album will finance some projects of musical education of poor children around the world.
[MARI DAVIS]
News report
Alma Mater Featuring the voice of Pope Benedict XVI
