Jesus People Music

Beyond the Music is a special 15-CD edition celebrating contralto Marian Anderson, the first Black singer at the Met. On April 9, 1939, a cold Easter Sunday, a woman in a fur coat walked down the steps of Lincoln Memorial, ready to perform open-air after being refused the largest hall in Washington because she was Black. As contralto Marian Anderson raised her voice to sing the words of My Country, ’Tis of Thee to the 75,000 who gathered to listen to her, an unforgettable historic moment unfolded. The great voice of “The Lady from Philadelphia,” first discovered by her local neighborhood, took her to global fame on the stages of Europe, Asia, and America. She became the first Black woman to perform at the Met in New York, she sang for presidents and kings, was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and with her dignity, courage, and unwavering belief in equal rights she became an icon in her supportive role for the civil rights movement.

With "Les Chants de Jésus", the Schola Regina choir, conducted by Philippe Nikolov, brings to a close the trilogy of sacred songs initiated by its producer and artistic director, Max Guazzini. After Credo (2011) and Les Chants de Marie (2015), this 3rd opus aims to introduce the treasures of liturgical music in a popular spirit, to as many people as possible, but also to share them with believers, to remind how diverse our musical culture is. Taking its source in Gregorian chant, this music brings together the centuries through different musical forms that today rub shoulders.