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Through the Flames: World PremiereA New Song Cycle for Soprano & Organ
Sunday, November 1, 2026 · 3:00 PM
Holy Cross Catholic Church
1621 University Avenue NE · Minneapolis, MN
What does it mean to hold fast to a conviction when everything is at stake?
On the Solemnity of All Saints, composer Samuel Backman and soprano, poet, and conductor Elena Zolnick present the world premiere of Through the Flames, a dramatic new song cycle exploring the lives of six saints and martyrs whose stories span continents, cultures, and nearly two thousand years of history.
Joan of Arc. Maximilian Kolbe. Little Li. Perpetua. Blessed Miguel Pro. Maria Goretti.
Their stories are radically different. Yet each reveals something about courage, sacrifice, suffering, hope, and the extraordinary power of love.
Written for the uncommon pairing of soprano and organ, Through the Flames moves through a remarkable range of musical and emotional worlds—from quiet contemplation and childlike innocence to anguish, dramatic intensity, exuberant joy, and triumphant hope. The organ serves not merely as accompaniment, but as a full dramatic partner, revealing colors ranging from whispered intimacy to overwhelming grandeur.
The cycle's spiritual center comes from the Book of Revelation:
"These are they who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
— Revelation 7:14
The title Through the Flames comes from the opening movement depicting the martyrdom of Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake in 1431. But the flames are also symbolic: of trial, conviction, sacrifice, and the passage through suffering toward hope.
Though deeply rooted in the Christian tradition, Through the Flames asks questions that reach beyond any single era or tradition:
What gives us the courage to remain faithful to what we believe?
How does hope survive suffering?
What makes love worth sacrificing everything for?
Come experience the birth of a new work on the feast that celebrates the communion of saints—not simply as figures of the past, but as witnesses whose lives continue to speak.
WORLD PREMIERE
Sunday, November 1, 2026 · 3:00 PM
Holy Cross Catholic Church
1621 University Avenue NE
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Free and open to the public, reception to follow.
Additional information: https://www.samuelbackman.com/through-the-flames
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1621 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN, United States, Minnesota 55413
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