History of the Choir
of Milano per la Scala
The Amateur Members' Choir of the Fondazione Milano per la Scala was founded in March 2003 with the intention of involving music-loving members in a choral experience. Maestro Casoni, who was appointed director, appointed Maestro Marco De Gaspari as choirmaster to recruit choristers from among the members. The first rehearsals took place at the Circolo Filologico, which was kindly provided by member and chorister Michela Brioschi.
The Choir made its debut at the Garden Society, on the occasion of the Foundation's General Meeting, in June 2003. In 2005, the Fondazione Milano per la Scala entered into an agreement with the Accademia della Scala to obtain a permanent rehearsal room for the Chorus.
We recall some of the Choir's performances from 2004 to 2016:
- A series of performances in various renditions of 'Bohème
- Christmas Concerts
- Easter concerts
- Speeches at the foundation's Members' Meetings, at the Società del Giardino and on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the choir's foundation, in the Toscanini Foyer at La Scala.
- Concerts in various churches in Milan and other locations.
The choir was revitalised under the direction of M° Margherita Tomasi, who responded to the needs of the choir members to improve the repertoire, choose more ambitious programmes and develop musical and vocal skills.
M° Margherita Tomasi immediately prepared the choir for a concert in the summer of 2017 in the auditorium of the Accademia di Arti e Mestieri of the Teatro alla Scala. The programme included choruses from operas, accompanied on the piano by M° Alberto Malazzi, the current director of the Teatro alla Scala choir.
In 2017 and 2018, the Choir gave concerts in prestigious venues in Milan, including the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, the Church of Sant'Andrea a Porta Romana, the Certosa di Garegnano and the evocative 18th-century Church of Arosio, as well as performances in the Val d'Aosta region.
In 2019, the Choir accepted an invitation to participate in the 'Festa della Musica 2019', an annual event sponsored by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, which promotes concerts throughout Italy.
In February 2020, the choir was forced to suspend rehearsals due to the pandemic. However, despite the difficulties, our choir members, led by Maestro Margherita Tomasi, were able to keep the choir active during 2020 and 2021.
On 3 October 2021, the choir gave a concert at the Monastero della Misericordia in Missaglia (LC) entitled 'Tant que vivray - Intrecci di voci e strumenti nell'Europa del Rinascimento', inspired by the madrigal by Claudin de Sermisy (c.1490-1562).
On 11 October 2021 the choir performed in the prestigious Basilica of S. Martino in Magenta. This was an exceptional event, as it was an invited performance with Maestro Alberto Malazzi as accompanist, on the occasion of the 22nd S. Martino d'oro award, which was given to Maestro Malazzi.
In 2022, in view of the continuing closure of activities in the field and the cancellation of concerts already scheduled due to the pandemic, the Choir organised a mass concert on 23 February 2022 in the church of the Beato Angelico School Foundation in Milan, with M° Claudio Cardani as accompanist.
