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"In the Light" with The Crossing and Donald Nally

  • Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral 19 South 38th Street Philadelphia, PA, 19104 United States (map)

These concerts have been postponed to allow for The Crossing’s special performance in memory of Joe Flummerfelt on Saturday, June 30 at 8pm at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church.

The Grammy-winning choir The Crossing under the direction of Donald Nally will present the premiere performances of Thomas Lloyd's In the Light. Following on the success of Lloyd's Bonhoeffer, this second concert-length choral theater work probes the dystopian social dynamics of a religious community where psychological control is maintained through the choir and its Abbess-conductor. In the Light is a work of fiction based on the composer’s research in to the Community of Jesus in Orleans, Massachusetts.

The result of six years of research involving public documents, media investigations, visits with former members and a visit to the community, the work raises essential questions about what it means to lead and what it means to follow within groups at all levels of our society. When do we cross the line from productive to dysfunctional, from life-affirming to malevolent? Can individuals survive such an experience and come out the other side with a sense of self still remaining? Can religious faith survive such a reckoning with the persistence of human evil?

Earlier Event: March 24
Cesar Franck's The Beatitudes