© 2024 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The KPAC Blog features classical music news, reviews, and analysis from South Texas and around the world.

Mastersingers Performing At Basilica Of The Little Flower For Mother's Day Show

The San Antonio Mastersingers have something special planned next month. The 120-member chorus is going to sing at one of San Antonio’s landmark buildings.

"For the 11th year in a row we’re going to be performing at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower, which is the only papal throne in San Antonio. So, should the Pope come to visit, that would be where he would speak," said Chancey Blackburn, who sings with, and is a board member of the Mastersingers.

According to Blackburn, the Shrine of the Little Flower is a great place for the kind of music they’ll be singing.

"It’s an acoustically excellent venue for our performances, so if you can imagine a cathedral in the space, and a 120 voices singing some beautiful thing like Vivaldi’s 'Gloria,' it’s really quite inspiring," she said. "It’s traditionally built with the shape of the cross in the construction. The ceilings of course are very high and vaulted, with the altar in the front."

Blackburn said they've made it easy to remember.

"The performance is on Mother’s Day," she said. "It’s Sunday, May 11, at 7 p.m."

I asked Blackburn to describe the music itself:

"Some are somber, some are huge chorus works. Some are very swingy and almost peppy, but it’s all very beautiful," she said.

Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii