Chorus

The Cappella Musicale Ambrosiana [Ambrosian Musical Chapel] was founded in 1978 at the urging of Pope Paul VI, a great connoisseur of the ancient Ambrosian rite, to support the Sunday liturgical office in the Basilica

Ambrosian chant, whose very name refers to the deepest and most authentic roots of Milan's ecclesial identity, is the only form of chant in the world to have survived among the ancient non-Roman liturgical-musical repertoires.

For many years, the Cappella Musicale was directed by the late Agostino Pedrotti. With profuse commitment and profound dedication, he worked to make the beauty and uniqueness of Ambrosian chant known and appreciated throughout Milan and the world. The chapel still helps to keep this tradition alive, one of the most precious treasures of the city of Milan.

For more information visit www.cantusambrosii.org.

The Cappella Musicale Ambrosiana performs the chants at the festive Chapter Mass at 12 noon, in Latin, and at all the Pontifical Masses in the Basilica, presided over by the Cardinal Archbishop or the Abbot-Bishop.

The performances of the medieval monodic liturgical pieces, taken from ancient chorales and antiphonals, are based on the most recent palaeographic reconstructions carried out by the Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano Superiore di Musica Sacra [Pontifical Ambrosian Institute of Sacred Music].

On 7 December 2008, during the solemn celebrations of the Patron Saint Ambrose, the Cappella Musicale Ambrosiana was awarded the Civica Benemerenza [Civic Excellence] for high cultural and artistic merits.

Today, the Cappella Musicale is directed by the Maestro di Cappella, Maestro Paolo Massimini, by appointment of the Basilica Chapter.

For more information visit www.cappellamusicaleambrosiana.it.