A forgotten Vatican mass, transcribed in the very year Michelangelo completed the Sistine Chapel frescoes, has been brought to life in a stunning new recording by the Kansas City Chorale—with significant contributions from Kansas State University faculty and alumni.
Dr. Bryan Pinkall, Director of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Kansas State University, appears on the album as a singer, soloist, and is the ensemble’s marketing director. Since Pinkall joined the Kansas City Chorale, its albums have received nine GRAMMY® nominations, winning five.
“I’ve had the honor of singing on some extraordinary projects,” said Pinkall, “but to give voice to a piece of music that has remained unheard for centuries—and to do so at this level of artistry—is a rare privilege.”
The album’s centerpiece is the premiere recording of Missa ad te levavi by Bartolomé de Escobedo, a 16th-century Spanish composer, theorist, and Vatican singer. The elaborate Renaissance mass, likely last performed in the Sistine Chapel nearly 500 years ago, had been forgotten—surviving only in a single, deteriorating manuscript copied in 1540–41, the same year Michelangelo completed his ceiling frescoes.
K-State alumnus Patrick Dittamo (MM, 2019), now a Doctoral Fellow in Musicology at the University of Chicago, led the extraordinary reconstruction effort. Working from digital images of the deteriorating manuscript, Dittamo used historical research and transcription tools to restore Escobedo’s intricate polyphony—making it performable for the first time in modern history. Also featured on the recording is K-State graduate Oliver Hutchison (BM, 2022), who sang in the Kansas City Chorale alongside Pinkall.
Released on April 11 by Bright Shiny Things, The Mirage Calls expands beyond Renaissance Europe to trace a musical journey inspired by Marco Polo’s path along the Silk Road. The album includes Mongolian and Middle Eastern folk traditions, as well as contemporary works by Se Enkhbayar and Pulitzer finalist Chen Yi. The result is a cross-cultural mosaic spanning time, geography, and tradition.
Under the direction of GRAMMY®-winning conductor Charles Bruffy, the Kansas City Chorale continues to earn international acclaim for its artistic excellence and adventurous programming. With The Mirage Calls, the ensemble not only revives a forgotten masterwork but celebrates the enduring power of music to bridge eras and cultures.
“This album is about rediscovery,” said Pinkall. “It reminds us that even after 500 years, music still has the power to connect us—across time, place, and culture.”
The Mirage Calls is now available for streaming and purchase at kcchorale.org or on any of your favorite music streaming sites.
