VOICES - Chant from Avignon

The Gregorian chants of the Benedictine nuns of Avignon

Voices: Chant From Avignon The Nuns of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, from a remote region of France near Avignon, won a worldwide search to find the world's finest female singers of Gregorian Chant. The hunt took in over seventy convents, including communities as far afield as North America and Africa.

The Nuns are part of an ancient order that dates back to the 6th Century.  They continue the tradition of leading a hidden life behind closed doors.  To remain 'secluded' to the outside world, any visitors, even family, must communicate with the sisters through a grill.  Once vows have been taken to live in the Convent, the sisters remain there until their death.

"We never sought this, it came looking for us" said Reverend Mother Abbess. "At first we were worried it would affect our cloistered life, so we asked St. Joseph in prayer.  Our prayers were answered, and we thought that this album would be a good thing if it touches people's lives and helps them find peace".

To avoid intrusion into their daily lives, the Nuns filmed their own TV commercial and photographed their own album cover.  The self-sufficient Nuns, who count amongst them a plumber, an engineer, an electrician, a silk-weaver and a dental assistant, have already forbidden record company bosses from entering their cloister.  Dickon Stainer, Managing Director of Decca Records, said, "I passed the contract through the grill, they signed it and passed it back.  Although the nuns do not leave the Convent, the whole world will now hear the true beauty of their singing".

The Nuns' album will feature the most ancient form of Gregorian Chant, which the sisters sing eight times a day. Gregorian chant was the first music ever to be written down. Tom Lewis, Head of A&R at Decca Records, says, "When you hear the sound of nuns chanting, it's like an immediate escape from the challenges, stresses, noise and pace of modern living. You're given a glimpse of a secret world of peace and calm".

Voices: Chant From Avignon