13 Mar 2025
The Monteverdi Choir is set to take centre stage at the Edinburgh International Festival’s opening concert this August, presenting John Tavener’s monumental The Veil of The Temple.
This eight-hour choral epic, scheduled for August 2nd, features 250 singers and was described by Tavener as “the supreme achievement of my life”. The MCO has a long-standing connection to the composer’s work, having commissioned The World is Burning in 1993 for its 30th anniversary. As the central and only professional choir performing, the Monteverdi Choir will also provide soloists and join with other choirs for this performance.
Two days later, on August 4th, the Monteverdi Choir will return to Usher Hall for 'Sing to the Lord a New Song', a programme featuring works by Bach, Handel, and Purcell, in collaboration with the English Baroque Soloists.
As the newly appointed Choir Director, Jonathan Sells will work closely with the artistic planning team and have a general oversight of the Choir, including its involvement in the Edinburgh International Festival. His responsibilities will also include preparing the Choir for guest conductors and conducting concerts himself throughout each season.
Looking ahead, the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras have an exciting year in store, including performances at the La Scala in Milan, Vienna’s Musikverein, and its London home, St Martin-in-the-Fields. Before their Edinburgh appearances, the English Baroque Soloists will perform Mozart with Marc Minkowski in Vienna and London, before continuing the new strand of unconducted programmes with a dramatized performance of Mozart’s Gran Partita with actor Tama Matheson at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
Meanwhile, the MCO’s in-house label, Soli Deo Gloria, will release its first new recording since the global pandemic on 18 April 2025: a live album of Bruckner and Gesualdo, conducted by Jonathan Sells. Later in Autumn, an album of the MCO’s European tour of Charpentier, conducted by Christophe Rousset, will also be launched.
As the MCO embarks on an exciting 2025 season, it remains committed to redefining period performance through musical excellence and bold artistic vision.
All press enquiries to Simon Millward, Premier, [email protected]
