THE ORDO PROJECT: Concert and Residency

"Astonishing...Don't stop...We're three quarters of the way to heaven."
Richard Knisely, Classical Performances-WGBH, National Public Radio

A unique opportunity for local singers and dancers to perform with Tapestry

• Women’s chorus will prepare music of Patricia Van Ness and then receive coaching sessions from Tapestry.

• Women’s chorus will learn and perform chant by Hildegard von Bingen.

• Choreographyer/Modern Dancer Stefani Reitter will present a workshop for college or highschool dancers.

The residency concludes with a performance of Ordo Virtutem by Tapestry and members of the host community.

Abbess and visionary, Hildegard von Bingen composed Ordo Virtutem for her community of cloistered nuns in 12th-century Germany. This monumental work combines soaring vocal lines with compelling drama to tell a universal tale of an individual’s struggle to discover her true self.

In this new adaptation of the medieval music drama, sparks fly as Tapestry (in the roles of Humilitas, Fides, Karitas and Victoria and women’s chorus join forces to rescue Anima, played by dancer, Stefani Reiter from Diabolus played by actor Jim Loutzenhiser. The production is staged by Cristi Catt, and choreographed by Reiter, whose work has been described as “visually lovely with striking, potent imagery” by the Boston Globe

Additional music by Patricia van Ness breathes new life into the play and provides a new ending — a timeless prayer for peace performed by Tapestry and women’s chorus.

This production of Hildegard’s Ordo Virtutem features selections from Tapestry’s most recent CD: Sapphire Night.

The debut performance was made possible in part by a grant from the Cambridge Arts Council.