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The National Catholic Register recently published an with Giorgio Navarini (’17), the founder of Floriani, a men’s choral group dedicated to renewing sacred music.

“We started as a barbershop quartet,” Mr. Navarini tells the Register. “But because I was familiar with chant and polyphony, I was asked to direct the music for some solemn high Masses, at which point we started getting invited to various other parishes for other Masses.” As the group traveled further afield to elevate local liturgies, its members felt the stirrings of a vocation. “I wondered if we could do this for life, as musical missionaries,” recalls Mr. Navarini.

Whether in their concerts or in their , Floriani — which includes Mr. Navarini, Thomas Quackenbush (’14), Joseph Daly (’19), and Graham Crawley (’20) — has found a consistently warm reception. “We are seeing a sacred music renaissance in the U.S.,” says Mr. Navarini in the interview. “So many want beautiful music.” 

Though striving to renew beauty, the men of Floriani know that such a renewal is inseparable from the truth they pursued as students at the College. “In our concerts, we are often weaving together history, philosophy, and theology along with the music,” explains Mr. Navarini. “We make sure that everyone who leaves our concerts has a new knowledge not just of music but of its purpose, its relation to the liturgy, and ultimately to God. The liberal arts formation really helps with that integration.”

To learn the inspiring story behind the group’s name, Mr. Navarini’s reflections on the transcendental power of the human voice, and the intricacies of Gregorian chant, read .