A Celebration of Hope and Peace June 27, 2009

An 800th anniversary is somewhat rare. To celebrate the milestone of the founding of the Franciscan Order, Chiesa Nuova, a Franciscan ministry for the performing arts in Chicago will present “A Celebration of Hope and Peace” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27 at Lund Auditorium in the Performing Arts Center, Dominican University, 7900 Division St., River Forest, IL. Performing will be world-renowned bass-baritone Alan Held, mezzo-soprano Stacey Eckert, the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra, and the 40-voice New Classic Singers.

The concert will consist of three major works: “Essay for Orchestra: Prayer for Peace” by Chicagoan Fr. Robert Hutmacher, “Five Mystical Songs” by Ralph Vaughn Williams, and “Dialogue of Francis and Clare” by Fr. Hutmacher. The featured work will be the oratorio “Dialogue of Francis and Clare,” which tells the story of a period after Francis experienced the Stigmata in 1224, a story of healing and mystical prayer between two people consumed by the love of God.

The story of this work is Fr. Hutmacher’s interpretation of one of the world’s classic stories of a love rooted in God, medieval mystique, and human passion for life.

The mission of Chiesa Nuova is: to witness God’s beauty and love through the performing arts by inviting artists and the community to mutually experience the fine arts in a Franciscan atmosphere of hospitality, openness and peace.

Tickets are $40 - 50. For tickets or more information, call the Lund Auditorium box office at 708-488-5000 or visit: http://www.dom.edu/pac. For more information about Chiesa Nuova visit: http://www.chiesanuova.org.

Official Website: http://www.chiesanuova.org/newsletter.html