Who is Carmina Burana?

Although Carmina Burana sounds like the name of a lovely woman, Carmina Burana is in fact not a woman at all, but the largest collection of secular poems, lyrics, and texts, dating all the way back to the middle ages, during the 11th and 12 century. The Carmina Burana manuscript was found in 1803 at Benediktbeuern, a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria.  In 1937, German composer Carl Off took 24 poems within the Carmina Burana, and converted in them into rockstar chorale works with irresistible rhythmic energy that explores love and fate.  

Masterworks Chorale and Schola Cantorum both celebrate their 50th Anniversaries with a rousing run-through of Carl Orff's lusty and lyrical Carmina Burana. Both choirs invite all Bay Area singers to join them Monday, August 5 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate their mutual anniversaries with the vibrant music of Orff. Vance George, renowned conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus for many years, will lead the choir.