TOO CHEESEY FOR THE POPE?

When Pope Benedict XVI visits the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., on April 17 to deliver an address on interreligious dialogue, he'll hear a choir whose name might raise a papal eyebrow:  The Suspicious Cheese Lords.

The Cheese Lords are a Washington-based male a cappella ensemble, founded by Clifton N. "Skip" West III in 1996.  They specialize in "early music", that is, music of the Renaissance that was originally performed by all-male choirs such as theirs.  Despite having performed at such venues as the Kennedy Center, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution, their name still seems to make some folks a little uncomfortable:  they're listed in the official program for the April 17 event as "Sacred Music Ensemble", with their real name discreetly tucked away in the acknowledgements on a back page.

So how did this group with the funny name get this plum gig?

Dr. Hugh Dempsey, Deputy Director of the Cultural Center, is a fan of the group.  It didn't hurt that the group has presented several concerts at the Center, and that one of its members, George P. Cervantes, works there.  However, this did not guarantee that the Lords would be asked to perform.  Dr. Dempsey had to convince the staff at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the primary organizers of the event, that having a group called the Cheese Lords sing at such an historic and dignified event wouldn't be such a crazy idea.

Before the Pope arrives, the ensemble will sing for the assembled guests.  In addition to their standard repertoire, the group will perform compositions of Jewish Renaissance composer Salamone Rossi, as well as music based in the traditions of Sufi Islam and Hindu ragas.

After the Pope's address, the Cheese Lords will sing a new piece based on the text of the "Prayer of St. Francis," also known as the "Peace Prayer".  Cervantes has written the music just for this occasion.

"When we were asked to sing a setting of that text, I looked for a suitable version," says Cervantes.  "But they seemed to be primarily for mixed voices, or they needed accompaniment.  I figured that it'd be better to have something suited to our specific voices – and that meant writing a new piece."

The popular prayer, which seems to date to the early 20^th century, has become associated with St. Francis of Assisi, the Italian friar who lived in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.  The prayer has a wide appeal, making it appropriate for an interreligious gathering.

So what's next for the Cheese Lords?  "We're having a CD release party at the French Embassy in May, and in June we're at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage as part of their A Cappella Festival," says West.  "But it's going to be hard to top this."

The group that would eventually become the Cheese Lords first met in 1996, when Clifton "Skip" West III invited a group of friends over for a savory gourmet meal in exchange for singing The Lamentations of Jeremiah by the sixteenth-century English composer Thomas Tallis. The combination of song, friendship, and Skip's cooking soon became a regular event.

Since then, they have performed at such locations as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington National Cathedral, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Gallery of Art.  They have released two world-premiere CD's, with a third to be released at the French Embassy in May.  They have received two awards from the Washington Area Music Association ("Wammies") and had their concerts broadcast on XM Satellite Radio.  The Washington Post has described their performance as "genuinely beautiful...rapturous musicmaking."  Their focus is on "early music", that is, music of the Renaissance that was originally performed by all-male choirs such as theirs.  However, they have also performed more modern works, some composed by members of the group.

The Suspicious Cheese Lords' unconventional name is derived from the title of another Tallis motet, Suscipe quaeso Domine. In a playful translation of the title, it was observed that Suscipe could mean "suspicious," quaeso resembles the Spanish word queso meaning "cheese," and Domine is, of course, "Lord." Hence, the title of the motet was clearly "Suspicious Cheese Lord" – which in time became adopted as the group's name.  "I hated the name," says West.  "And the guys loved it."  And to this day, thanks to Skip's cooking skills, the Cheese Lords continue to have dinner together before their weekly rehearsals.