After two years away from the Vilna Shul, VOICES 21C will perform their annual program of entirely Muslim music and repertoire on Sunday May 15th, at 3:00pm.
Each choir involved performs songs from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian cultures, and then joins together at the end. The idea of shared values, especially in these turbulent times, rises above our many cultures and connects us. By using music to explore the themes of freedom, we seek to create a culture of understanding, faith, and hope. We have to ask, because it’s important to ask: why are we, a group of non-Muslims, performing an entire program of Muslim music?
Globally, our artistic director André de Quadros a pillar in Muslim choral music. His involvement in music of Islam stretches from Northern Africa, to South and Southeast Asia. In 2017, he co-founded one of the only Muslim choral ensembles in the world, in Sri Lanka. In 2018 they performed at the Yale International Choral Festival with great acclaim.
We perform at Voices of Humanity with great credit to André’s informed take on Muslim music. We also make it clear we are not there to perform this music in place of the people who devotionally take part in it, but to give space for this music to be present, and prominently included in the conversation of world culture. Especially during Covid-19, our relationships with Muslim musicians around the world have only strengthened given the ability to digitally connect, including our 2020-2021 residency with the Muslim Choral Ensemble of Sri Lanka, and this coming summer where several of our members will be traveling to the World Muslim Choral Ensemble in partnership with the group. Given the violent climate of Islamophobia that pervades the United States, we feel humbled to be welcomed back to the Vilna Shul for this fantastic event, in promotion of profound empathy and understanding for all people.
For tickets to Voices of Humanity, click here! Please note, masks will be required for everyone, and vaccination status will be checked at the door, in an effort to keep everybody, especially our most vulnerable, safe.
All of our love, and we cannot wait to see you! VOICES 21C
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