Testimonials
“…Cathedral Concerts…it’s the kind of presentation that should make us realize what a valuable part it is of the local music scene. Nobody else in town brings in groups of this kind.”
Sarah Bryan Miller
Music critic for the St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Romeri and his concert series (St. Louis Cathedral Concerts) are a civic treasure.” & “With out Cathedral Concerts there would be gaping holes in the musical life of St. Louis.”
Sarah Bryan Miller
Music critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“It’s worth driving one hundred and fifty miles to hear this kind of program.”
Charles and Norma Smith
Audience members and Concert supporters
“Last night’s concert was absolutely stunning! The program was masterful and the performances all seemed flawless and greatly inspired. You provided a musical treat whose memories will last forever.”
William ”Pat” Partridge
Organist & Choirmaster
Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis
“Congratulations on a wonderful concert last Friday Night at the Basilica. My wife, Wilma, and I attend most of your concerts in ‘the great space.’ We urge you to keep on with your fine concert series. We support you and your efforts.”
Dr. James E. Wilson
Professor of Music, Emeritus
Greenville College, Greenville, Illinois
“Thank you for making the Cathedral and all the music available to so many St. Louisans and surrounding areas. It is a great accomplishment to bring the printed music to life for the enjoyment and enrichment of our lives.”
Barbara Wick
Owner, Wicks Pipe Organ Company
“John: GREAT concert… As you said, the music and the space were perfect for each other.”
Paul Arenberg
Regional Arts Commission
“I had the pleasure of observing the entire audience perched on the edge of their pews, just waiting to jump up into their standing ovation. Many times at a concert, a few stand up here and a few stand up there, and slowly everyone eventually rises to his or her feet. But at the end of this concert, the whole assembly leapt to their feet simultaneously. It was so cool to see it and to know that their enthusiastic applause was completely genuine, not polite. You touched them all. Fifteen hundred people were overwhelmed with the power and the beauty of the piece.”
Tina Mowrer
Director of Music, Mary Queen of Peace Parish
“I just wanted to make certain that you had my reservation as this is one of the BEST experiences of the holiday season and I do not want to miss it.”
Gail Cavallo
Audience Member
“…thanks for all you do to bring the Cathedral Concerts together for all of us. Your concerts are world-class entertainment, inspirational and just plain fun.”
Richard Losciale
President, Premier Knowledge Solutions Inc.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Last night’s performance by Tenebrae was incredible—no, unbelievable. The perfection in their singing was matched by their musicality. Rarely do we hear both elements in a single performance. During their final piece I almost began laughing (and I’m a pretty sober person) because it was so perfect! It seemed as if the Basilica had been constructed explicitly for the presentation of this concert, the space and its acoustics were so fully utilized.
We sat next to a gentleman from Atlanta who is here on a one-year exchange for CDC. He and his wife (still in Atlanta) have sung in choirs and ensembles all their lives and their daughter, now a lawyer, sang under Robert Shaw. In front of us was a law student at Wash U whose father is the choral director at Georgia Tech. We were surrounded by people who loved this performance.
I know why we get discouraged in our labor, but you must believe in how very important your work is to our community. It is your vision that has brought the best the world has to offer in choral music right to our footsteps. And we are uplifted by these magnificent and transforming experiences.
Thank you again for the finest performance I have ever heard. Now, find out what that encore was!”
A. Dennis Sparger, D.M.A., Music Director and Conductor
The Bach Society of Saint Louis
“John, I presumed Tenebrae would be good, but I never thought they’d be so breath-takingly amazing! I was near tears when they sang of the pilgrimage to Santiago…praises to St. James wafting through the domes of the Cathedral Basilica… Had no clue where all that sound was coming from… Just knew that it was flawless. Thank you for sharing this European treat with us!”
Karen Evans Guglielmo
Audience Member
“I personally can’t thank you enough for working to bring Tenebrae to the Cathedral Basilica! Their music reminded me that one of God’s greatest gifts to us is the Human Voice! The concert was truly mesmerizing — they did with voice what Stephen Tharp did with the organ — utilized the uniqueness and character of the entire space to create an atmosphere — now THIS is creating music!”
Chuck Chauvin
Director of Music, St. Paul’s Catholic Church
