Reader in Music Alexander Lingas and Research Fellow Spyridon Antonopoulos recently participated in a new stage of the Icons of Sound project on the phenomenology of worship during the Middle Ages at Hagia Sophia, the basilica built by Emperor Justinian I to be the cathedral of the city of Constantinople (modern Istanbul). This project is a collaboration between Professors Bissera Pentcheva (Department of Art History) and Jonathan Abel (CCRMA) of Stanford and Cappella Romana, the American-based vocal ensemble Dr Lingas founded in 1991.

Drs Lingas and Antonopoulos created new editions of medieval Byzantine chants for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September) that were given their first modern performances by Cappella Romana in Seattle (Washington), Portland (Oregon), and at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University. A preview of the Stanford event is available here: https://live.stanford.edu/blog/october-2016/mysteries-hagia-sophia-revisited

After the Stanford concert, Drs Lingas and Antonopoulos attended a scholarly symposium at Stanford before embarking on a recording of the concert repertoire at the studios of CCRMA. Photos of Cappella Romana’s residency at Stanford are available here:

http://www.cappellaromana.org/photos-icons-of-sound-hagia-sophia-reimagined/