Name: Mass Appeal
Start: 2026-04-12T16:00:00-04:00
Location: First Presbyterian Church

A captivating exploration of one of the most influential musical forms in history—the sacred Mass—and how great composers over the centuries have brought its texts to life, from the austere Renaissance grace of Palestrina to the clear Classical simplicity of Schubert, the epic Romanticism of Bruckner, the English folksong-based style of Vaughan Williams, the lush Neo-Romanticism of Barber (in Agnus Dei, a choral version of his famous Adagio for Strings, heard in the movies Platoon and Outlander) and the bold modernism of Stravinsky. The program concludes with Robert Ray’s joyfully energetic Gospel Mass, blending the traditional mass with a contemporary, soulful musical style.