125th anniversary of the Orfeón Donostiarra: performances in the Vatican and Rome

Orfeón Donostiarra will travel to Rome and the Vatican from 28 to 30 October to give three performances as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations with support from the Etxepare Basque Institute.

Celebrating 125 years of continuous choral activity this year, the choir is sending fifty singers to Italy on 28, 29 and 30 October to give three performances.

On Friday 28 October the Orfeón Donostiarra will perform at the Palacio de España, home of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. The performance is part of a series of cultural events organised by the embassy to mark its 400th anniversary as Embassy of Spain to the Holy See, the oldest diplomatic seat in the world.

The programme selected by the San Sebastian choir is made up of zarzuela works by composers including Bretón, Soutullo, Vert, Chueca, Pagán and Yradier; international works by composers such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Mancini, Sieczynsky, Cohen, Gardel, Velázquez and Lennon. There will also be a Basque accent with a piece by Sorozábal. The choir is accompanied on the piano by Jon Urdapilleta from San Sebastian and conducted by Sainz Alfaro.

The following day, Saturday 29 October, at 9:00 pm, the choir will perform a concert in the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Piazza di Sant´Ignazio in the centre of Rome. On Sunday 30 October, the Orfeón Donostiarra will take part in the 10:30 a.m. Chapter Mass at St. Peter´s Basilica in the Vatican to close its trip to Italy.