The Rostra Collective
Why Rostra?
In ancient Rome, the Rostra was the speaker's platform in the Roman Forum—the place where citizens, poets, and statesmen addressed the public. It was not the seat of power itself, but the place where ideas and convictions entered public life. From the Rostra, arguments were made, injustices challenged, and visions for the future articulated. It was a space where rhetoric addressed civic reality.
The Rostra Collective reflects our belief that the choral stage can—and should—serve a similar purpose. By intentionally placing pieces in conversation with one another to make tangible commentaries on current social and political realities, our intertextual point of view invites audiences into a shared space of listening, reflection, and dialogue.
The debut program weaves together selections from David Lang’s Poor Hymnal and various other works by Gesualdo, Reger, Mahler, and Palestrina, alongside a new commission by Brian De Stefano.