Chora Nova, a 50-voice Berkeley-based chorus, concludes Artistic Director John Kendall Bailey’s inaugural season with Grant us Peace: A concert for Memorial Day at First Church Berkeley UCC (also known as First Congregational Church). The concert is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. Soloists for the evening are Gabrielle Goozée-Nichols, soprano, and David Newman, baritone.
We explore the theme of "Dona Nobis Pacem," the Latin phrase taken from the Agnus Dei section of the Latin Mass: "Grant Us Peace": for those we remember this Memorial Day weekend; for all those affected by wars and conflicts that continue to rage throughout the world; and for ourselves, who need to find our own personal peace amidst difficult challenges we face in our lives during a time of great uncertainty.
Ralph Vaughan Williams' powerful Dona Nobis Pacem, the centerpiece of the concert, takes the Latin text as a point of departure, with poems by Walt Whitman and passages from the Bible that explore the devastating effects of war, and the loss of human life and humanity - all bound together in a desperate plea for peace. Shorter works by Mendelssohn, Miller, Nystedt, and Barber explore different aspects of longing for peace, each piece written from a different perspective and place in history; each representing a different music style; each a powerful and beautiful source of healing. We'll conclude with everyone singing the famous round setting of Dona Nobis Pacem.