Secluded nuns seal record deal
27 Jul 10
An order of Benedictine nuns has signed a major record deal with Decca Records - part of Universal Music - which counts Lady GaGa and U2 among its acts, it has been revealed.
The Nuns of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, based near Avignon, in southern France, who won a worldwide search to find the finest female singers of Gregorian Chant, are set to release the album, Voice: Chant From Avignon, in November.
The Reverend Mother Abbess said: "We never sought this, it came looking for us.
"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."
The sisters, who sing their chants eight times a day, communicate with outsiders through a grille to avoid intrusion into their daily lives.
Their strict rules meant that even London-based Decca Records managing director Dickon Stainer was unable to enter their home to congratulate them.
He said: "I passed the contract through the grille, 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 label is hoping to repeat the success of the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz whose 2008 album Chant: Music For Paradise sold more than one million copies.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
http://www.decca.com/ (Decca Records)
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