Duruflé in Paris: May 3 - 9, 2018
A Memorable Experience!

ABOUT THE DURUFLE FESTIVAL
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On May 3, 2018, 85 select, auditioned singers from around the US, Canada and Taiwan met in Paris to rehearse and perform Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, Op. 9 and Quatre Motets, Op. 10 with a local orchestra and organist, Thomas Kientz.
Rehearsals were held in Duruflé's church, St. Etienne-du-Mont in Paris. The festival included three public performances with a combined audience of over 2,200 attending in Chartres Cathedral, Norte-Dame and in Durufle’s own church, St. Etienne du Mont.
The singers were selected from over 100 applicants who went through an online audition process. Each musician prepared the music on their own and arrived in Paris with a good command of their part.
Our first performance was a Sunday morning Mass participation at Notre-Dame Cathedral where the chorus sang two of the Op. 10 motets along with two movements of Hassler’s Missa Secunda and the Sanctus from Gabriel Fauré’s Messe basse.
The first performance of the Requiem with orchestra and the Quatre Motets took place at Chartres Cathedral, about a 90-minute bus ride northwest of Paris. Chartres is an inspiring architectural marvel which is widely considered to be the most beautiful example of medieval cathedral design.
Our culminating event was a second performance of the Requiem back in Paris in Durufle’s own church, with the orchestra and Mr. Kientz playing Durufle’s organ. This was a surprisingly emotional experience for musicians and audience alike. Durufle’s nephew, Jean-Martin, attended the concert along with his wife, Katja, and Jean-Martin's mother, Ingrid. They stayed to congratulate the choir after the performance and expressed their profound happiness that Duruflé's music is still being performed in the US and elsewhere.