The de Angelis Vocal Ensemble will take its audience back in time to the court of Mantua, in Renaissance Italy, to experience an extraordinary moment in musical history when virtuoso and composer Salamone Rossi Hebreo bridged the Jewish and Christian communities of Mantua with music, both sacred and secular.  de Angelis will lead the audience across this bridge of shared Jewish and Christian cultures and traditions with sacred songs by Salamone Rossi and his contemporary at the Mantua court, Claudio Monteverdi. The program will also include madrigals written by the two composers for the 'avant-garde' rulers of Mantua and fashionable courtiers of the ducal court.
 
Salamone Rossi Hebreo (circa 1570-1630) is one of the greatest figures in the music of Italy, bridging the Renaissance and Baroque eras.  One of the biggest-selling composers of his time, he was the primary instrumentalist at the Gonzaga court in Mantua, even more famous than his fellow composer, the great Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643).  Rossi who was proud of his Jewish heritage, was the first to compose polyphonic music to Hebrew texts.  This was an unprecedented development in synagogue music, as until recently polyphonic music in the synagogue had been forbidden.
 
The Sacred Bridge concert is made possible through the work of the Catholic Jewish Dialogue, an interfaith program of the Orange County Jewish community and the Catholic Diocese of Orange, with the participation of the Orange County Jewish Community Scholar Program.