Farmington|Local Event
Missa Gaia
Event Details
Chorus Angelicus and Vocalis Youth Choir invite you to Missa Gaia: Celebrating Our World Through Song. Join us for a vibrant and deeply evocative collaboration centered on Missa Gaia, a groundbreaking work that invites audiences into a rich tapestry of sound, spirit, and global consciousness.
Co-written by Paul Winter, Paul Halley, Jim Scott, Oscar Castro Neves, and Kim Oler, Missa Gaia, often called the Earth Mass, draws from musical traditions across the world. Gregorian chant, African rhythms, jazz harmonies, and Latin American influences intertwine seamlessly, alongside the haunting and beautiful voices of the natural world. Originally conceived for the vast, resonant space of the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City, where Winter and Halley collaborated for many years, the work unfolds with an almost architectural sense of grandeur. The result is a piece of rare eclectic magnificence, at once ancient in spirit and strikingly contemporary in voice. The program will also weave in other contemporary choral selections celebrating the natural world.
The young singers of Chorus Angelicus have embraced this music with remarkable enthusiasm. The score’s imaginative orchestration, paired with recorded sounds of whales and wolves, creates a soundscape that is both visceral and poetic. It invites performers and listeners alike to reflect on the deep and sometimes overlooked bond between artistic expression and the natural world.
Under the direction of Julie Bickford and Gabriel Löfvall, these two acclaimed youth ensembles bring the work to life with both precision and wonder. They are joined by a select group of adult singers, blending with the younger singers to create a vibrant, intergenerational choral sound. A versatile ensemble of instrumentalists further enriches the sonic palette, with colors ranging from soprano saxophone and oboe to percussion and organ..
At its heart, Missa Gaia is more than a concert. It is an invitation to listen more deeply, to reflect more consciously, and to rediscover our place within the living fabric of the world. It offers a musical meditation that is as exhilarating as it is profound.