Interfaith Harmony Concert At Raue Center

CRYSTAL LAKE-CARY, IL - From Raue Center For The Arts: FaithBridge and the Harran Productions Foundation will celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week on January 28, 2018 at Raue Center For The Arts. Over 150 children from various faith communities will gather for a day of interfaith music and dance, with the event culminating in a public “Sounds of Faith” concert at 4 p.m.

“Raue Center is proud to be inclusive of all faiths and all people,” says Raue Center Executive Director, Richard Kuranda. “I truly hope the event captures the attention of His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. The arts are inclusive of all.”

“Sounds of Faith” will bring together the best children’s ensembles representing various faith and ethnic
traditions from throughout the Chicagoland area. Each ensemble will share sacred sounds and songs of their traditions. The public concert will feature song, dance, recitation and chant from Islamic, Jewish, Christian and Hindu traditions. The participating ensembles will also join together to perform the shared anthem, “Peace in the Desert,” composed and conducted by well-known composer, Lee Kesselman, and “Gate, Gate,” a Buddhist chant composed by Brian Tate.

Endorsed by the Parliament for World Religions, “Sounds of Faith” will inaugurate local celebrations of World Interfaith Harmony Week, which begins officially on January 27. Sponsored by the United Nations, the World Interfaith Harmony Week seeks to spread the message of harmony and tolerance among the followers of all the world’s religions, faiths and beliefs.

King Abdullah II of Jordan, who first proposed the idea for the World Interfaith Harmony Week, offers three prizes, to be awarded to each of the three best events or texts organized in honor of the World Interfaith Harmony Week which best promote the goals of the initiative. Prizes include $25,000 and a gold medal for first place, $15,000 and a silver medal for second place and $5,000 and a bronze medal for third place. No American event has ever won a prize.

If “Sounds of Faith” is named among the three events that have been most successful in promoting interfaith harmony and impacting religious understanding, a local representative will travel to Jordan for a ceremony to receive the prize, which will be split between FaithBridge, the Harran Productions Foundation and each of the participating ensembles.

Tickets to “Sounds of Faith” are $15 and may be purchased at faithbridgeinterfaith.org. A link can also
be found at rauecenter.org under upcoming events.

About Raue Center For The Arts
Raue Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 16 years, they have provided quality programming – striving to make it pertinent, available and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor—Lucile Raue—Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic downtown Crystal Lake, IL, is a gathering place for our region’s citizens and has become a true destination. For additional information, visit rauecenter.org, facebook.com/RaueCenter and twitter.com/RaueCenter.

Upcoming Events
2/7 @ 8 pm: Bob Saget
2/23 @ 7 pm: Lightwire Theater presents “Dino-Light”
2/24 @ 7 pm: An Evening of Percussion with the Crystal Lake Strikers
3/3 @ 8 pm: VoicePlay

Image courtesy of Raue Center for the Arts