Women of Schola return "in secret"

The sounds flowing from pre-modern convents constitute one of the better kept secrets of music history. This spring, the women of Schola Antiqua return to the convent repertoire with a revamped "Music in Secret" program in Chicago. Under the direction of British organist and harpsichordist Naomi Gregory (left), this special concert of nuns' music has brought the group around the country in the last two years with appearances from New York to St. Louis. The lone performance of "Music in Secret" in the Chicago area will take place on Friday, April 24 at St. Clement Church (ticket info). The group will also present the program on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign the following night (ticket info). Plainchant of the convent mingles with sonorous sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century northern Italian music for nuns.