Music of Grief and Comfort
The Chapel Singers of Trinity College
Christopher Houlihan, conductor
present
Music of Grief and Comfort
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Trinity College Chapel
7:00 p.m.
Click here to view the program.
TO THE HANDS | Caroline Shaw
A musical response to the suffering of those around the world seeking refuge, and of our role and responsibility in these global and local crises.
SACRED PLACE | Alex Berko
An ecological musical program that connects the old with the new,
the sacred with the secular, and the individual within their community.
Will Bannon ’28 | Tommy Carty ’28 | Kathleen Casey ’25 | Elise Casey ’25 | Nicholas Cimillo ’26 | Mary East ’27 | Gemma Feltovich ’25 | Abigail Gomes ’28 | Amber Gray ’26 | Nicholas Keim ’26 | Danny Lenois ’25 | James Maciel ’25 | Abigail Maiello ’27 | Anna McAdams ’28 | Elijah Morris ’28 | Luca Paleologo ’27 | Ben Rushton ’25 | Sydney Smith ’25 | Kat St. Amand ’28 | Zarina Stone ’26 | Madison Thompson ’25 | Jensine Wagner ’25 | Chris Yi ’26 | Sydney Yu ’25
Sarah Washburn | violin
Katalin Vismeg | violin
Nick Borghoff | viola
Katie Kennedy | cello
Kevin Huhn | bass
Pi-Hsun Shih | piano
Christopher Houlihan | conductor
John Rose Distinguished College Organist,
Director of Chapel Music, and Artist-in-Residence
Free and open to the public, no tickets required.
More information about parking for Chapel Music events is available here.
About TO THE HANDS
Caroline Shaw describes TO THE HANDS as a work which considers “the suffering of those around the world seeking refuge, and of our role and responsibility in these global and local crises.” Composed as a response to Dieterich Buxtehude’s 17th century masterpiece, Membra Jesu Nostri, the work’s texts include traditional Latin scripture, as well as Shaw’s original lyrics. One movement highlights actual statistics of internally displaced persons, by country, sourced from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
CAROLINE SHAW (b. 1982) is a musician who moves among roles, genres, and mediums, trying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed. She works often in collaboration with others, as producer, composer, violinist, and vocalist. Caroline is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, several Grammys, and an honorary doctorate from Yale. Her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite smell is rosemary. (https://carolineshaw.com/)
About SACRED PLACE
Influenced by his own Jewish identity and drawing inspiration from musical works based on the Christian liturgy, Alex Berko’s SACRED PLACE takes the structure of a traditional Jewish service but features texts and poetry that celebrate the beauty of the natural world. Poetry by Wendell Berry and William Stafford is juxtaposed with writings by John Muir, Rabindranath Tagore, and traditional Jewish prayers. Berko says, “there is a deep unifying power in collective listening that transcends a single person or a single group’s traditions.”
The “stirring” (New York Times), “intoxicating” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “disarmingly beautiful” (Textura) music of American composer ALEX BERKO (b. 1995) is characterized by a balance of intimacy and power, a keen sense of lyricism and emotional sensitivity, and a love of narrative. Berko’s music often poses questions about our personal environments and relationships to one another, and he is interested in weaving listeners through intimate stories and perspectives with universal values. (https://www.alexberko.com/)
About THE CHAPEL SINGERS
Celebrating its 200th year, The Chapel Singers is Trinity College’s oldest student organization, founded in 1825. In addition to offering music at Chapel services, the group sings at major college occasions and performs concerts on campus and on tour. The group’s membership is comprised of undergraduates from a variety of backgrounds and academic disciplines who enjoy studying and performing challenging choral music.
About CHRISTOPHER HOULIHAN
Christopher Houlihan is the John Rose Distinguished College Organist, Director of Chapel Music, and Artist-in-Residence at Trinity College. A graduate of Trinity, Houlihan serves on the faculty of the music department, teaches organ music to undergraduates, and directs The Chapel Singers. He is an internationally respected concert organist, regarded by the media as “gifted” (New York Times), “dazzling” (Wall Street Journal), and “eloquent” (Los Angeles Times).
