In response to one of the worst national tragedies in recent memory, local religious leaders have banded together to celebrate unity in the face of religious adversity.
On Sunday, September 9, Arts & Faith St. Louis will be staging the second annual “September 11 Interfaith Memorial in Music.”
This year’s concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington). Free and open to the public, the event will feature performances from Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim faith groups, as well as Grammy-winning soprano Christine Brewer and jazz pianist Peter Martin. Professor Gerald Early of Washington University will deliver opening remarks and St. Louis artist Lyndsey Scott has been commissioned to create an interactive sculpture display to accompany the concert.
Leaders from the local Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and Jewish communities initially came together last year to organize a concert memorializing the 10th anniversary of September 11. Because this initial event in was such a success, the group of religious leaders decided to create an official organization devoted to celebrating religious and artistic diversity. Shortly thereafter, Arts & Faith St. Louis was born.
According to Ryan Harris, event coordinator for the Sheldon, last year’s event was hugely successful, nearly selling out the 712-seat Sheldon Concert Hall and garnering immense community support.
“I don’t think anyone set out to make this grand statement, but at the last minute it all came together and bam, 700 people showed up,” says Harris. “The response has been overwhelming.”
Like 2011’s inaugural event, this year’s concert will also memorialize September 11. However, Harris anticipates that the focus will evolve in the future.
“We thought, why continue to dwell on this tragic event?” he says. “Why not create something that moves away from memorializing the tragedy and move toward an appreciation or celebration of diverse people from different faith groups?”
Arts & Faith St. Louis now defines itself as a group dedicated to “further collaboration between faith communities and the arts.” The September 11th memorial concerts have provided the jumping-off point for this growing local institution, which has received financial support from virtually every university in the area, as well as nearly every major faith group.
“It’s hard to measure success on something like this,” says Harris, “but the fact that so many showed up shows it’s something that really strikes a chord with the community.”
For more information, visit interfaithstl.org.
