Kinnara: Joby Talbot's 'Path of Miracles'

Spain's Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is one of the revered "thin places" of the world, a shrine where the border between earth and heaven is felt to disappear. Since the Ninth Century, pilgrims have followed an ancient route leading from France to the cathedral shrine holding the body of St. James (Santiago) and extending beyond to Finisterre, "the end of the earth" on the western coast of Spain.

British composer Joby Talbot's a cappella tour-de-force Path of Miracles follows the journey along the Camino between four of the major staging posts on the route as an expression of the individual pilgrim’s experience. The mystical and epic work reflects the physical and spiritual progress of the pilgrim, referring to the multitude of stories of saints, miracles, and traditions associated with the route. It evokes shrines to pilgrim-martyrs, ancient hospices, the pilgrim's passport, and the symbolic burning of a piece of clothing at Finisterre to symbolize renunciation of the pilgrim's old life.

About Kinnara

Heralded as "luxurious, lush, and verdant" (New York Classical Review), and "breathtakingly beautiful" (Arts ATL), Kinnara is one of America's premier professional chamber choirs. Under the direction of J.D. Burnett, who also serves as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas at Austin, the ensemble performs a wide variety of standard choral repertoire from all eras. Lauded as "a jewel that combines appealing, varied programming with sterling musical qualities and direct, memorable artistic communication." (Choral Journal), Kinnara's debut album, Provenance, is distributed internationally by Naxos Records.