Photo Courtesy of Laurie Pine
Seton Hall University Chorus director Jason Tramm, sitting at the piano, rehearses with SHU students, from left, Gabriella Markey, Erin Smith, Augustine Glazov, Sister Mathilda DeLucy and Devin McGuire for their choral performance ‘A Prayer for Peace’ at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 17.
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Everyone knows that practice is the way to get to Carnegie Hall. But three local residents will soon be taking the literal way to the prestigious musical institution, where they will perform in a concert dedicated to promoting peace through music.
South Orange residents Sister Mathilde DeLucy and Gabriella Markey, and Maplewood resident Charles Carter will take part in “A Prayer for Peace,” a co-production of the Seton Hall University Chorus and the MidAtlantic Opera, at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on Saturday, Oct. 17. As part of the show, they will sing selections from an eclectic mix of composers representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. They will perform Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Dona Nobis Pacem,” Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” and Ahmed Adnan Saygun’s “Yunus Emre,” which is making its U.S. debut. One-third of the proceeds raised through the event will benefit the United Nations Refugee Agency to aid its efforts in helping 13 million refugees around the world.
For DeLucy, the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall is a “blessing,” especially as she has been singing most of her life and even hopes to become a music teacher after graduating from Seton Hall University. The university junior said just having the opportunity to work with so many incredible singers from both the MidAtlantic Opera and the Seton Hall Chorus — which consists of experienced adult performers in addition to students — has been a wonderful learning experience.
But above all, DeLucy said she is proud to participate in a concert meant to spread a message of peace. With the rise of ISIS and the recurrence of tragic shootings like the one that left nine dead at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College, she said the world needs to be reminded that everyone should be treated with love and respect, especially those with whom it is difficult to get along. And music is just the vehicle for this reminder, she said.
“Music is basically putting ideas and thoughts into a spectrum where everybody can relate,” DeLucy told the News-Record in an Oct. 2 phone interview. “There’s just something about music that speaks to the soul of every person — it’s like another language almost. It can be used as a dialog between people, between nations.
“It’s obvious that there needs to be a change in just how we treat one another and see one another and respect one another,” she continued. “Music is just that way where you kind of leave your senses and you surrender yourself to this bigger message and this bigger power. You’re able to really bring people together into that experience.”
Markey agreed that promoting peace is an important mission, and she believes that the songs selected for “A Prayer for Peace” will more than live up to the task. The Seton Hall senior, who said she has wanted to perform at Carnegie Hall since experiencing a show there with her fiance, said the fact that each piece is sung in a different language does not lessen the impact of their messages. Even though audiences might not understand exactly what is being said in Latin, Hebrew and Turkish, she said they will be able to feel the emotion coming through the singing.
And as a result, Markey said the concert will bring everyone witnessing it one step closer to a more peaceful society.
“At the end of the day, when you perform what was written maybe 20 years ago, maybe 100 years ago, there are still these very human things that are innate to us (that people can connect with),” Markey told the News-Record in an Oct. 1 phone interview.
“Peace really is brought about by just feeling you can relate to somebody on some sort of level. That feeling of unity and togetherness is really the driving force behind peace, and consequently, music is something that brings about unity and togetherness. So I definitely think the two go hand-in-hand.”
As a professor of religious studies at Seton Hall, Carter can certainly relate to the religious aspects of the songs. Considering that wars have been fought between conflicting faiths for centuries, the professor acknowledged that there is a dark side to religion. But he stressed that if people look closely at its true purpose, they would see that all faiths share a common message of peace.
“It’s better to understand the heart of the religious tradition as opposed to what the public perception might be,” Carter told the News-Record in an Oct. 1 phone interview.
Carter said the concert pieces demonstrate this, with the “Dona Nobis Pacem” and the “Chichester Psalms” even incorporating selections from Latin liturgy and Hebrew psalms, respectively, in their lyrics.
The show’s message of peace is also made powerful through the talents of its conductor Jason Tramm, according to Carter, who was actually involved with hiring Tramm as the university’s director of choral activities when he served as associate dean of arts and sciences. Carter said the maestro has taken the Seton Hall Chorus to new heights and has especially proven his professionalism and dedication in working on “A Prayer for Peace.” He said the show is “in very good hands.”
Perhaps Tramm has excelled at overseeing the show because he is so passionate about the subject matter. The maestro, who serves as the MidAtlantic Opera’s artistic director in addition to his post at Seton Hall, said making a difference through music has always been a personal mission. And he saw firsthand the power art has to bridge the gap between very different people while conducting a production of the American opera “Porgy and Bess” in the Muslim country of Albania. Despite the fact that he and his performers came from dissimilar backgrounds, he recounted that they all connected over a shared goal, with the Muslim singers relating to the universal themes in the work.
Tramm said he believes “A Prayer for Peace” will open people’s eyes in the same way.
“I think we have an opportunity to break down boundaries,” Tramm told the News-Record in an Oct. 1 phone interview. “I think we have an opportunity to get people to discuss. Art has always been a catalyst for change, for reflections on life. I think that is one of the critical roles of the artist — to reflect on things that are both positive and negative and to foster dialog. I think any time that we can create dialog, the opportunity for change emerges.”
The maestro and his singers have already seen success with the similarly-themed concerts “Prince of Peace” and “Peace and Grace,” which were both well-received when performed in Ocean Grove this summer. “A Prayer for Peace,” the concluding chapter in Tramm’s trilogy, will be an even greater feat both for its revered venue and the fact that the choruses only had since late August to prepare. Still, with two weekly rehearsals each roughly two hours or longer, the conductor said he is confident the chorus will be ready by show time.
Tramm is also confident that the concert will be an evening to remember for his singers, and he said he is pleased to provide them with the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall. The maestro himself is excited to conduct there, calling it a “dream come true” to make his debut at the historic institution.
Above all, Tramm said he hopes audiences will be inspired to think about spreading peace after seeing the show, which he believes will be a real possibility considering its message.
“I think it’s going to be a powerful statement with beautiful music,” Tramm said.
To order tickets, call 212-247-7800 or visit http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2015/10/17/0800/PM/MidAtlantic-Opera/.