Founded in 1989 by Maria Helena Pires de Matos, then professor of Gregorian Chant at the Higher School of Music in Lisbon, the Coro Gregoriano de Lisboa has as its objective the dissemination of Gregorian chant through its study and performance, and has given innumerable concerts in more than fifty cities in mainland Portugal and the islands. The Gregorian Choir has performed in a number of countries, such as Japan (1995), Belgium (1997 and 2003, in the International Festical of Gregorian Chant of Watou), Luxembourg (1999 and 2004 in the Gregorian Chant Days of the Abbaye de St Maurice de Clervaux), Switzerland (2000, in the 12th Festival of Mediaeval and Renaissance Music “Cantar di Pietre”), Italy (2007, in the 8th International Congress of Gregorian Chant in Florence) and Morocco (2007, in the Fez Sacred Music Festival). The Gregorian Choir has recorded five CD recordings, namely Liturgy of St Anthony (1993), which received the Choc du Monde de la Musique, Mass for Peace (1997) – awarded the Diapason d’Or, Liturgies of European Saints of the First Millennium and The Apostles (2011), nominated for the SPA Authors’ prize as the best classical disc. The Gregorian Choir has been directed by Armando Possante since 2011.
