University Singers & MSU Chorale with professional soloists and instrumentalists, Cali Camerata and MSU Symphony Orchestra present the 2011 Beatrice Crawford Memorial Concert, a program promoting cultural and religious tolerance through mutual understanding and respect.

University Singers performing Memorial (Clausen), a major work for mixed chorus, baritone solo, piano and chamber orchestra based on subject material which reflects the horrific events of September 11, 2011 in New York City. In this the 10th anniversary year of 9-11, Memorial focuses on the themes of healing, cleansing and hope and utilizes texts in Latin, Hebrew and Arabic.

The evening will also feature the East Coast premiere of Parables, an oratorio with libretto by Herschel Garfein and music by Robert Aldridge, the same duo that created the 2008 blockbuster Peak Performances world premiere opera Elmer Gantry, which was recently nominated for multiple 2011 Grammy Awards! Parables is a major work for large mixed chorus, SATB soloists, and symphony orchestra. An exciting new work that deals with the themes of tolerance and universality of cultural and spiritual beliefs. Texts drawn from Christianity, Judiasm, and Islam.

JOIN US PRIOR TO THE CONCERT
for a pre-concert discussion on spirituality!

December 11, 2011
1:30PM – Leshowitz Recital Hall

A pre-concert dialogue will take place in the Leshowitz Recital Hall of the John J. Cali School of Music at 1:30pm, directly preceding the Beatrice Crawford Memorial Concert. Focusing on themes of spirituality and inclusivity, the discussion is part of an ongoing campus-wide commemoration of the events of 9/11 and will feature the creative team behind Parables in conversation with an interfaith panel of local clergy and scholars. This event is free and open to the public, and is presented in collaboration with the John J. Cali School of Music, the Office of Arts and Cultural Programming, the Office of Equity and Diversity, and the Council for Faith and Spirituality.

This concert is a free public performance supported by a generous grant from the Keating Crawford Foundation. It is presented at Montclair State University in memory of Beatrice Crawford, a Montclair musician who was the director of two choral groups “The Madrigals” and “The Choraliers.”