History - Beginning
The Scola Gregoriana of Bruges was founded in 1970. To fill up the gap that was created by the retirement of the then conductor P. François and when the boy and the seminarist choir in the Saint Salvator Church in Bruges stopped their activities, the organist of the cathedral Roger Deruwe invited some enthusiastic people to sing every week during the High Mass in the cathedral.
Soon the core developed into a Scola that consciously and intensively engaged in the study of the Gregorian music. In 1974 the first study trip took place to Solesmes and there the choir made a first performance outside a cathedral. A national tour of 'Davidsfonds' gave the Scola a reputation in all the Flemish provinces. In 1979 the 'Festival of Flanders' made for the first time an appeal to the Scola; a lot of invitations would follow.
Great European Festivals invited the Scola. The choir performed at the 'Festival du Mosan', the 'Bregenzerfestspiele', the 'Festival Musique en Bourgogne', the 'Festival of Avignon', the 'Festival Estival de Paris', the 'Kirchenmusikfestival in Salzburg', the Spanish Festivals in Santander, San Sebastian, Palma, Cuenca and Girona. Also they have had performances in The Netherlands, England and Switzerland. The choir regularly lent its co-operation to Eucharistic celebrations on radio and TV, and some of its auditions were broadcasted by the VRT, the RTBF, France Music, the Spanish and the Basque radio and TV.