By Christina Gray
The ‘Sacred Voices’ Choir is en route to California for its first state tour Aug. 24-29. The choir featuring 40 singers from the most important musical institutions in Rome and at the Vatican will perform Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.
Sacred Voices showcases the great Roman polyphonic (Greek for “many voices”) tradition of the Sistine Chapel Choir and its most famous composers. It is the choir of the Cardinal Bartolucci Foundation dedicated to the legendary Domenico Bartolucci. The maestro directed the Sistine Chapel Choir for nearly 50 years and was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI for his extraordinary service to the Church.
“It is with great excitement that Sacred Voices brings to California for the first time the extraordinary musical heritage of the Sistine Chapel Choir, with masterpieces by its great composers, from Palestrina to Cardinal Bartolucci,” Pontifical Cantore and Sacred Voices Director Adriano Caroletti told Catholic San Francisco.
Caroletti is the former choirboy and soloist of the Papal Sistine Chapel Choir under the direction of Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci. In 2017, after teaching vocal technique for the Pueri Cantores (student chorale group) of the Sistine Chapel Choir and for the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, the Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci Foundation appointed Caroletti director of Sacred Voices.
“We are honored to share at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco the sacred music we sing during the solemn liturgies with the pope in St. Peter’s Basilica, promoting our mission of evangelization through the beauty of sacred music,” he said.
The choir’s repertoire is mainly dedicated to the composers of the Sistine Chapel Choir, according to Alessandro Biciocchi, executive director of the Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci Foundation. Of special focus will be Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, considered the leading composer of late 16th-century Europe, Lorenzo Perosi and Domenico Bartolucci himself. Cardinal Bartolucci wrote music and directed the Pope’s Choir in the 20th century.
The Vatican recorded a compact disc for the 500th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (circa 1525-26). This special limited-edition CD will be on sale at every concert on the California tour.
“The music of these artists resonated and still resonates to accompany the solemn liturgies of the popes in the Sistine Chapel and in St. Peter’s Basilica and represents the most solemn music repertoire of the Catholic Church,” said Biciocchi.
On June 18, Sacred Voices offered the first concert to Pope Leo XIV in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. The Choir performed in Chicago in 2022 and in New York in 2025.
“The Roman polyphonic tradition continues even today to be a point of reference to look to, as is the precious repertoire of compositions left to us by the unforgettable Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, illustrious composer and for almost fifty years the director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir,” said Pope Leo in a quote on the foundation’s website, fondazionebartolucci.it/en/.
California tour dates of Sacred Voices
Aug. 24 Cathedral of St. Joseph, San Jose, CA at 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco, CA at 7 p.m.
Aug. 26 Cathedral of the Annunciation, Stockton, CA at 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 27 Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA at 8 p.m.
Aug. 28 Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Sacramento, CA at 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 29 Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, CA at 3 p.m.
