Choir from Italy to raise cash to aid Benedictine Monastery

The choir performs in Italian and Latin. It is being sponsored by the Patronato de Kino de Tucsón as it passes through Tucson on its way to Magdalena, Sonora, for the International Festival of Kino, May 20-24.

"When asked to host the Trento Alpine Society here, the patronato considered the need of the Benedictine Monastery. We saw the monastery as an appropriate venue for a concert, and the concert could benefit the monastery's remodeling program," said the Rev. Vicente López, executive director of the patronato.

The patronato is a non-profit group dedicated to enriching the cultural and spiritual heritage left by Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino, a 17th-century Jesuit priest who founded 21 missions in the Pimeria Alta, in what is now Northern Sonora and Southern Arizona.

"I see this as providential," said Prioress Sister Ramona Varela with a chuckle. "Our schedule was open for this concert. We are excited about this, and us sisters probably will sit in the choir stalls in the upper part by the altar," Sister Ramona said. The concert will be in the chapel, which holds 200.

The monastery, which broke ground Nov. 7, 1939, was designed by architect Roy Place in a Spanish-Renaissance style. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places Sept. 29, 1994, Sister Ramona said.

Place also designed the Old Pima County Courthouse, the old Veterans Hospital and most of the original buildings of the University of Arizona, according to the order's Web site www.tucsonmonastery.com/ preserve.asp

The monastery is in the midst of a $1 million restoration campaign, Preserving Our Heritage. It needs to raise money for repairs to the roof, heating and cooling systems and general maintenance, which includes painting, plumbing and electrical work. The first phase of roof work began April 13.

The choir's trademark sound is lush harmonies. It has sung in the most prestigious concert halls and theaters in Italy, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Finland, López said. It also has performed in France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland and Canada, he said.

Gloria Alvillar, a board member of the patronato, said she heard the choir perform in Segno, Italy, last July. "The choir stood just a few steps from the statue of Kino, just like the one we have here in Tucson," said Alvillar, referring to the padre on horseback at South Kino Parkway and East 15th Street.

"The plaza was packed, it was threatening to rain and yet not one person left, so I knew it was going to be great and they did not disappoint," said Alvillar in an e-mail interview. "I can't wait to hear them again."

The patronato supports Kino's elevation to sainthood, and it is hoped this occurs by 2011 on the 300th anniversary of death.

After its performance here, the choir will head to Magdalena for the festival and perform there on May 22, when a delegation from Taio, Italy, will sign documents making Taio a Sister City to Magdalena.

Segno is Kino's birthplace, and it is in the region of Taio. Relatives of Kino also will partake in the festival, which attracts writers, historians, artists, architects and engineers from Italy, Mexico and the United States, López said.

The festival marks the discovery of Kino's skeletal remains in May 1966 in what had been the Chapel of San Francisco Xavier. City Hall was built on top of it, and the government building was moved to another site.

The area was excavated, and La Plaza Monumental was built. It contains a crypt where Kino's remains are visible. About 50 yards away is María Magdalena Church.

Fundraiser by 30-member men's choir

What: The Trento Alpine Society, a men's choir from Italy, will sing at a fundraising concert to help restore the Tucson Benedictine Monastery.

When: 7-8 p.m. May 19.

Where: Tucson Benedictine Monastery of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at 800 N. Country Club Road.

Cost: $20 per person.

Information: 1-520-400-5437.