WELCOME

Welcome! Today’s concert is an offering from the heart.  It is an offering from the Columbia Orchestra, the St. Louis and St. Francis music ministries, and the Concert Series leadership and staff.  It is an offering for peace and healing, especially for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, and for families grieving in Uvalde, Texas. Using music as the vehicle, anchored by Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant us peace), our voices speak to the need for harmony and healing of a world fractured by war and violence.  May this afternoon’s selections offer comfort and inspire responses of generosity and prayer for those suffering from the traumas of war and senseless acts of violence.

This program brings to a close our busy and thrilling “Sweet 16” season.  With the help of outstanding guest artists and our own choirs and orchestra, we’ve explored the repertoire of orchestral and choral masterworks and celebrated the spirit of New Orleans.  We stepped into Julia Child’s kitchen and of course, performed timeless Yuletide classics.  We continued to build partnerships, welcoming Baltimore Concert Opera to our stage for the first time.  From intimate, candlelit a capella music in our historic stone chapel to the grandeur of full orchestra, choirs, and soloists in our beautiful church, throughout the season, the exceptional talents of performers and versatility of our programming were on full display. 

Thank you so very much for sharing these experiences—and the inspiration generated by great music—with us.  We are incredibly proud of our programming and performances and are grateful to you for making our success possible.  We hope to see you often in the 2022-23 season.

With gratitude and hope,