Hundreds attend historic Ralston College concert at Savannah’s Cathedral Basilica of St.John’s the Baptist

About Ralston College’s public concert series 

Works of Wonder is the hallmark of Ralston College’s on-going free public concert series which since its launch in 2022 has aimed to share the riches of the humanities with Savannah residents, and the wider global community of millions who have supported the College since the launch of its Master of Arts in the Humanities program. 

Founding College President Stephen Blackwood welcomed guests to Regina Coeli Hall at Savannah's Cathedral Basilica: 

“It is one of the greatest joys in the Ralston College calendar to welcome to Savannah world-class musicians and to share their talent with our friends in the local area. The College is devoted to fostering the transformative power of the humanities, both within our own community and through our many public-facing events,” he said. 

“That we are able to host Fr Mehlhart for the third year running is testament to the place that music holds in Ralston’s vision.”

Each concert in the series complements an aspect of the College’s MA curriculum.

In February, the third term of the academic year when students are studying texts from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Works of Wonder animated some of the most enduring art from each era while deepening students’ appreciation for the performing arts–one of the key disciplines of the humanities. 

The performance included two cantatas by Antonio Vivaldi, Nisi Dominus and Beatus Vir; both works are settings of the psalms–composed in praise of the “wondrous works” of creation– as well as Mozart's masterpiece and virtuosic motet for soprano and strings, Exsultate, jubilate.

The College’s concert series also includes an annual seasonal concert. In December 2024, the College welcomed hundreds of guests to Winter Harmony, a performance of sacred and secular carols by some of Savannah’s finest professional singers, The Ralston Chorus and The Savannah Boys Choir. 

About Fr Robert Mehlhart 

During Fr Mehlhart’s previous visits to Savannah, he has conducted Ralston College’s presentation of Allegri’s Miserere Mei and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.  

Fr Mehlhart is a priest in the Dominican Order, a Roman Catholic religious order which was considered a leader in intellectual life during the Middle Ages and influenced the founding and flourishing of many renowned universities during the 13th and 14th centuries.

Though Ralston College does not have any religious affiliations, its students and faculty are delighted to attend lectures by Fr Mehlhart–another occasion to examine the past in continuity with the present.

In private lectures, Fr Mehlhart–a composer of masses and motets, and a scholar of plainchant also known as Gregorian chant–considered the evolution from Monody to complex harmonies in the Baroque Period, confirming to Ralston College students a development of artistic culture–from the Middle Ages to Modernity–that parallels those in the realms of philosophy, literature and theology during the same periods. 

“We are proud to continue offering students of Ralston College’s Master of Arts in the Humanities unique access to world-renowned scholars like Fr Mehlhart whose expertise they could not easily engage elsewhere,” President Blackwood said. 

“I am confident that concertgoers will be as delighted by Fr Mehlhart’s considerable talents.” 

Fr Mehlhart, who broadcasts regularly on Vatican News, is also the Director of Music and Organist at the Theatine Church in Munich, where he leads the Vokalkapelle–founded in 1482 as the choir to the Bavarian Royal Court and considered to have one of the richest musical traditions in Europe.

About Christian Sottile 

Christian Sottile is principal of an international award-winning urban design practice based in Savannah. Sottile & Sottile has led historic conservation projects throughout the United States, including the transformation of the chapel in the crypt of Cathedral Basilica.

Sottile, who is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the professor of architecture and urban design at Savannah School of Art and Design, described his vision for Regina Coeli Hall as an effort to refine the hall so that it is as striking as the cathedral under which it is situated:

"A central goal of the renovation was the aesthetic refinement and elevation of the hall as a space worthy of and in keeping with the extraordinary material quality, articulation, and detailing of Savannah’s treasured historic Cathedral,”he said.

About Ralston College

Ralston College is in the midst of its admissions cycle, which will assemble the College’s fourth consecutive cohort to be admitted to their degree of Master of Arts in the Humanities in Spring 2026.

Admitted students to the fully-funded program begin their first term of study in Greece and complete the three subsequent terms on the College’s campus in historic Savannah.

The eight-month program charts its course through Western civilization, from the Greek world of Homer, to Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe, into the Renaissance and up to our modern era. 

In June 2026, the College expects to admit its 75th student to their degree, marking its third graduation. Graduates now work or study full-time in the realms of publishing, architecture, education, technology, medicine, and law.

Two recent graduates are participating in the College’s Postgraduate Fellowship Program, designed to further develop their remarkable talents toward their future careers. 

“Ralston College has made great strides in its mission to share the riches of the humanities with its students, with the citizens of Savannah, and with the many people around the world and from all walks of life who follow its lectures and podcasts online,” President Blackwood says. 

The College has recently published its 2024 Sophia Lecture Series featuring Dr Iain McGilchrist which has engaged more than 100,000 viewers since publication in December. In Spring 2023, Dr McGilchrist delivered three lectures to sold-out crowds in Savannah.