Post-Event Report · Concerti in Basilica
On a warm summer evening on the lagoon island of Grado, the ancient Basilica of Sant'Eufemia opened its doors — free of charge — to one of Italy's most promising young vocal ensembles. The Emilia-Romagna Regional Youth Choir, conducted by Elisa Dal Corso, offered a programme that travelled across four centuries of sacred music, from the counterpoint of Palestrina to the luminous harmonies of today's Nordic masters.
An evening among the mosaics
Few settings could have suited the programme better. The Basilica of Sant'Eufemia, consecrated in 579 AD, is one of the oldest churches in the Adriatic, its nave paved with a breathtaking carpet of early-Christian mosaics. As the young singers took their places beneath the golden apse, the audience settled into a space where music has echoed for nearly fifteen centuries.
The concert formed part of the Concerti in Basilica season, organised by the Foundation for the Conservation of the Basilica of Aquileia with the support of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Friuli Foundation, the Aquileia Foundation and BCC Venezia Giulia, in collaboration with the Municipality of Aquileia, the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia and the Mattiussi family. The event was also featured in the programme of GO! 2025, the European Capital of Culture shared by Gorizia and Nova Gorica — a fitting cross-border echo for a choir whose very mission is to unite young voices from across a region.
From Palestrina to the present day
The programme was conceived as a journey through time. It opened in the Renaissance with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the undisputed master of sacred polyphony, whose flowing vocal lines found a natural home in the basilica's generous acoustics. From there the choir leapt forward four hundred years to the contemporary repertoire: the Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, whose cinematic, light-filled writing has made him one of the most performed choral composers of our time, and the Swedish Lars Jansson, bridging sacred tradition and modern Scandinavian sound.
"A programme spanning four centuries of sacred music: from Palestrina to the contemporary voices of Ola Gjeilo and Lars Jansson."
The emotional heart of the evening was the Prayer of St. Bernard to the Virgin — Dante's sublime invocation from the final canto of the Paradiso ("Vergine Madre, figlia del tuo figlio…"), set to music by the Trappist nuns of the monastery of Vitorchiano in Lazio. A text born in medieval poetry, clothed in melody by a living monastic community, and sung by young voices: a perfect emblem of how the sacred choral tradition keeps renewing itself.
The choir: a young ensemble with a national profile
Founded in 2017 by AERCO, the Emilia-Romagna Choir Association, the Coro Giovanile dell'Emilia-Romagna brings together singers aged 18 to 35 from across the region. Conceived as both a training ground and an artistic ensemble, it has grown into one of the most significant youth choirs in Italy, with appearances ranging from regional festivals to international stages — including a performance at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta, and a 2024 recording for the Tactus label.
Since 2026 the choir has been led by Elisa Dal Corso, a conductor with extensive experience at the helm of some of Northern Italy's most important choral groups, particularly youth ensembles. In June 2025 the choir's rising prestige was crowned by an invitation to sing in the Gardens of the Quirinal Palace for the Festa della Repubblica, in the presence of the President of the Republic.
Grado: an island of mosaics and voices
For visitors who came for the music, Grado offered its own overture: a labyrinth of Venetian-era lanes, a lagoon glowing at sunset, and the silhouette of Sant'Eufemia's campanile guiding the way to the concert. The Concerti in Basilica season continues through the summer — full details are available on the official website of the Basilica of Aquileia, www.basilicadiaquileia.it.