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Update, October 1: The Requiem of Light COVID-19 Memorial Concert has been moved to The Sheldon (3648 Washington). The event will take place from 7–9:30 p.m., and attendees will be required to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the event's start time. Guests will also be required to wear masks throughout the program.
Original post:
To honor the lives of those lost to COVID-19 in the greater St. Louis area, a public memorial, Requiem of Light, will be held at the Grand Basin and Art Hill in Forest Park on October 2 from 7–9:30 p.m.
Speakers at the event will include elected officials (Mayor Tishaura Jones), leaders of faith (Rev. Deon K. Johnson, Rev. Traci Blackmon, Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, Mufti Asif Umar), health care providers (nurse Amy Jacobsmeyer), nonprofit executives (Angela Kender of the Missouri Covid Memorial Project and Thong Tarm of Asian Pacific American Advocates), event co-organizer Rebecca Messbarger, and more.
There will also be original music from composer and event co-organizer Dr. Philip A Woodmore, as well as performances by jazz singer Denise Thimes; soloists Duane Foster, De-Rance Blaylock, and Daniel McRath; student soloists Noah Van Ess, Student Soloist and Shaniya Perry, Student Soloist; a featured artist from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; and choir and band members.
The event will culminate with the lighting of 3,000 lanterns at the Great Basin to commemorate the approximate 3,000 St. Louisans who’ve died during the pandemic, as well as to evoke the spirit of lives lost and bring hope to those who remain.
Alongside the event, the Missouri History Museum and Nine PBS will produce a story collection initiative, “Stories of the Pandemic: A St. Louis Covid-19 Digital Archive,” to document how the region has responded to COVID-19.
Messbarger, a professor at Washington University and the first director of medical humanities, says the idea of hosting the event has been met with open arms while reaching out to potential partners.
"From the very beginning, it has been an avalanche of yeses for the sake of our community,” says Messbarger. “In the midst of all of this division, I saw such incredible unity and commitment to each other."
