Posted April 2, 2019
DAYTON, OHIO (April 2, 2019) – The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates the human spirit through the universal medium of music this April in a program called Unity Through Harmony. Choirs from around the Dayton area will join the DPO for a glorious concert of uplifting classical and spiritual music on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. in the Dayton Masonic Center.
Unity Through Harmony is a first-ever special community concert of music from the diverse faiths in the Dayton region. Come hear the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra create beautiful music with choirs and musicians representing Baptist churches, Jewish synagogues, and Catholic churches from around the region. Each of the groups will perform music from their traditions and then join in the finale as a unified massed choir of over 150 voices!
Unity Through Harmony will combine the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO), under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, with more than 100 singers from the following choirs and singing groups:
- Dayton Jewish Chorale, Cantor Jenna Greenberg, Director
- Omega Baptist Church Choir, Tommy McGuffey, Jr., Director
- Mary Catholic Church Choir with singers from Church of the Incarnation (Centerville), St. Paul’s Catholic Church (Yellow Springs), Emmanuel Catholic Church (Dayton), Kathryn Maresca, Director
- Mary Catholic Church Ministerio de Música Hispano Nuevo Amanecer, Luis R. Clemente, Director
- University of Dayton Ebony Heritage Singers, Rev. Donna Cox, Director
- University of Dayton World Music Choir, Dr. Sharon Davis Gratto, Director
The program will begin with the glorious Sinfonia from Bach Cantata #29, with DPO Principal Pianist Joshua Nemith on the resounding Masonic Center organ. The afternoon continues as the DPO performs sacred works in English, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, including the moving “Phoenix in Exile” by Syrian-American composer and pianist Malek Jandali. Choirs and singing groups will take the stage throughout the performance to fill the Masonic Center with beautiful vocals, bringing the musical selections to life. After intermission, all vocal groups will unite together on stage to perform a mass choir repertoire of ecumenical songs from gospel and folk traditions.
The concert is presented as part of the Dayton Philharmonic’s ongoing series of Norma Ross Memorial Community Concerts. We would like to thank the following organizations for their support in helping to make this unique presentation possible:
- World Religion Fund
- African–American Community Fund of the Dayton Foundation
- Bob Ross Auto Group
- Ohio Arts Council
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Sisters of the Precious Blood
- University of Dayton’s School of Music
As spring awakens in Dayton, spend a few hours surrounded by the inspirational sound when classical and spiritual music come together to unite our Dayton community.
Tickets for Unity Through Harmony are $10 and are available for purchase by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or online at https://daytonperformingarts.org/program/unity-through-harmony/. For more information or to order subscriptions to the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
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About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the community, offering a tremendous variety of performance and education programs and setting a new standard for artistic excellence. Dayton Performing Arts Alliance performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works, the single largest source of community funds for the arts and culture in the Miami Valley. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance also receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency created to foster and encourage the development of the arts and to preserve Ohio’s cultural heritage. Funding from the Ohio Arts Council is an investment of state tax dollars that promotes economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohio residents. In 2013, The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was thrilled to be one of five performing arts organizations in the country selected to receive a three-year “Music Alive” grant from New Music USA and the League of American Orchestras. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is the proud recipient of a 2017-2018 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.