Stellarum presents Eric Whitacre's "The Sacred Veil"

The Sacred Veil represents an extraordinary collaboration between Eric Whitacre and poet/lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri telling a story of life, love and loss.

Accompanied by piano and cello, the work includes texts from Silvestri, Whitacre and Julie herself, the intimate, compelling score tells a story of courtship, love, loss and the search for solace. Inspired by this extraordinary and moving friendship, the piece shares a very human journey – one that so many of us can relate to.

Hear Voces 8's recording of the final movement "Child of Wonder"

The Sacred Veil may be the single most important musical contribution in our time, perhaps in any time, to a non-religious, as well as non-political—perhaps we might say non-teleological understanding of death and loss. Its length and difficulty may preclude it from inclusion in your average funeral, but to experience it in performance with 40 singers, or perhaps in recorded form, may be transformative for those whose grief, recent or deep-seated, has never completely found closure. —People’s World

The Sacred Veil, Whitacre's most extended work to date, is effectively a poignant secular requiem for Silvestri's wife, Julia, charting her illness and death from cancer and the shock and grief of her husband and two young children as they travelled with her on the journey--as did Whitacre himself. ...It is a work that will speak eloquently to modern generations and is performed here with great tenderness by the choir that gave the premiere in 2019. —Choir and Organ

As one of San Diego's leading amateur chamber choirs, Stellarum's free concerts entertain, educate, and enthrall audiences and focus on making choral music accessible for everyone. Founded and led by British choral director and composer Benjamin Thiele-Long, Stellarum's programs blend choral music spanning the renaissance to the 21st century and from composers across Europe and North America.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Kensington Community Church, 4773 Marlborough Drive, San Diego, United States