Music & Concert Calendar
Music
St. Paul’s prides itself as being a beating heart of musical expression in the city of Rome. Join our congregation, attend one of the evening concerts here or listen to and read one of our Musical Meditations: there are many ways to explore the musical life of St. Paul’s.
The church enjoys an eclectic program of services and concerts throughout the year, being one of the most sought-after venues for classical music in the city of Rome. The space is used for concerts by a variety of external musicians Monday through Saturday and the church music department runs its own ‘Luminaria’ concert series on Sunday evenings.
The Anglican choral tradition is firmly rooted in the worship at St. Paul’s. Having grown out of the Anglican Reformation, which took place in various stages during the 16th century, music, which had always played a role in divine service, was re-considered and underwent new developments in the light of the new liturgies and the adoption of English as the official language of worship.
The American Episcopal Church began life as a natural development of the Anglican Church in the New World. It has adopted as part of its worshiping life not only the traditional repertoire derived from musical importations from Europe, but also indigenous and novel musical forms.
Our professional choir, accompanied by our Organ Scholar and directed by Organist and Director of Music, Stefano Vasselli, sings for the Sunday morning English Sung Eucharist in addition to Evensong and special services throughout the year. Their repertoire is varied and, although mostly based in renaissance polyphony, spans from Byrd, to Kodály, to Negro Spirituals.
The Choirs
The liturgical choir of St. Paul is made up of some 15-20 professionals and experienced and committed volunteers. The choir meets every Sunday morning at 9.00 from mid-September to the beginning of June for the rehearsal. After a quick cup of coffee at 10.15, the choristers receive the blessing and enter the church ready for singing the first Hymn at 10.30. Our liturgy is full of music, and it is our privilege to choose from a wide repertoire spanning from Renaissance polyphony down to contemporary composers and Spirituals. The choir sings also a few concerts during the season, often in cooperation with local orchestras and/or other musicians.
A second choir, made up of some 25 volunteers, mostly Italians, gathers on Monday evenings at 19.00 and prepares, at a slower pace, 3 – 4 Services and concerts per year, often in collaboration with the liturgical choir. Among the most recent performances we are happy to name Gioachino Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Coronation Mass and even my own “St. Paul’s Mass” dedicated to our beloved church.
A third choir, rehearses on Tuesday evenings at 19.00 and is conducted by our professional Soprano Rhonda AbouHana. The choir is made up of English speaking singers and has repertoire that includes also non sacred music.
CONCERTS & CULTURAL EVENTS
Evening Concerts
Our church also hosts a large number of other concerts, mostly operatic in nature, which are ticketed. For more detailed information, we invite you to contact the hosting organizations directly. For further information and/or auditions, please write to: music@stpaulsrome.it
Monday
The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
and Masterpieces by Johann Sebastian Bach
for Organ / Strings
Opera in Roma
www.operainroma.com
(351) 505-7608
Wednesday
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
I virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma
www.ivirtuosidelloperadiroma.com
+06 482-6296
Thursday
Opera Concert (a selection of opera arias)
I virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma
www.ivirtuosidelloperadiroma.com
+06 482-6296
The instruments
Organ Scholarship
St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church, Rome, wishes to appoint an organ scholar for the academic year beginning in September 2026. This scholarship offers an excellent opportunity for a gap year student or postgraduate organist to join a vibrant expat community in Rome while engaging in the musical life of the church and the wider city. Applicants should be at least ABRSM Grade 8 standard, with experience accompanying Anglican repertoire and working with choirs.
Established in 2014, the scholarship has welcomed talented young musicians from the U.K. and U.S.A., including James Grimwood (the first scholar), Carter Leer, Julia Alsop, Eric Foster, Hugo Williams, Frederick Frostwick, and more recently Kenneth Miller, Efisio Aresu, Francesco Cacioni, and Charlotte Baker. The program was paused for nearly three years due to the pandemic and resumed in September 2022.