Vox Resonat marks Day of the Dead at Hope Abbey Mausoleum

Vox Resonat, a vocal ensemble led by UO voice professor Eric Mentzel, will perform a Day of the Dead concert at the Eugene Masonic Cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The Mausoleum is at East 26th Avenue and University Street, where East 26th ends at the cemetery.

Vox Resonat, a small ensemble of vocal soloists, will sing Monteverdi’s “Lagrime d’Amante,” a lament on the death of the composer’s favorite singer who died tragically at the age of 18; movements from Victoria’s Requiem; and musical meditations on death and the afterlife by Byrd, Scarlatti, Josquin, Gesualdo and Gombert.

“Hope Abbey is the ideal place for a musical memorial,” Mentzel said. “The acoustics of the building are wonderful for vocal music; singing this repertoire in this building for this occasion is just perfect.”

Apparently, the Eugene concert public agrees. “Our concert last year sold out, and some fans were turned away,” Mentzel said. “This year we’ll be selling tickets in advance through the UO Ticket Office so that people can be sure of getting in.”

In addition to his position at the UO School of Music and Dance, Mentzel is a prominent and widely recorded singer of early music. He was recently named director of the Seattle Medieval Women’s Choir.

The Hope Abbey Mausoleum, completed in 1914, was designed in Egyptian Revival style by Ellis F. Lawrence, first dean of the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts. After many years of deterioration and disuse, it has been restored and is now in operation and open to the public.

Tickets for the Oct. 24 concert will be available through the UO Ticket Office at www.tickets.uoregon.edu. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door. Seating is limited, so advance purchase is recommended.

More information can be found on the Vox Resonat Facebook page or at voxresonat.com.