Third Annual September 11th Interfaith Commemoration in Music

Arts & Faith St. Louis, a collaboration of St. Louis arts and faith leaders, has announced the third annual Interfaith Commemoration in Music: An Appreciation of Religious Diversity. The event is free and open to the public and has drawn standing room only crowds every year.

Arts & Faith St. Louis aims to promote a more harmonious St. Louis by establishing an ongoing relationship between the arts and faith communities. The concert takes place at 5:30 pm, Sunday, September 8, 2013 in the historic Sheldon Concert Hall at 3648 Washington Blvd.

“Through the common language of music, this event brings together the Arts and Faith Communities of St. Louis in their shared search for peace, understanding and respect in order to build a more harmonious St. Louis,” says Carolyn Losos, Chair, Arts & Faith. Senator John Danforth explained the concept behind the event in his opening remarks at the inaugural concert in 2011. “From our earliest days, the great challenge of America has been to create a common bond, and hold together a diverse people. We are many, but we are one.”

The impressive musical line-up features renowned Grammy-winning soprano Christine Brewer, Grammy-winning jazz pianist Peter Martin, St. Louis Symphony Concertmaster David Halen, and the St. Louis Children’s Choirs. In addition, musical representatives from Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Mormon, Muslim and Sikh faith groups will participate, including: AME Church Missouri Conference Choir, Cantor Seth Warner, Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, Hindu Temple of St. Louis, Rising Youth Generation Chorus of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, St. Cecilia Parish Church Combined Spanish Choirs.

Sister Mary Jean Ryan, founder of SSM Health Care, will provide opening reflections.

The Pipe and Drums Corps and an honor guard from the St. Louis County Police Department will present the colors and Charles Glenn will sing the National Anthem.

Primary sponsoring partners for the Interfaith Memorial in Music include Interfaith Partnership, the Michael and Barbara Newmark Institute for Human Relations at. the Jewish Community Relations Council, Opera Theatre Saint Louis, and the Sheldon Arts Foundation.

Following the show, audience members will have the opportunity to affix ribbons with messages of understanding, respect and working for peace while recognizing and appreciating our religious diversity.

For more information, please visit www.artsfaithstl.org, or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/artsfaithstl.

PRESENTING ORGANIZATIONS Interfaith Partnership; the Michael and Barbara Newmark Institute for Human Relations at the Jewish Community Relations Council; Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; and the Sheldon Arts Foundation

SUSTAINING PARTNERS (List in Formation): Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis; Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Karen and Mont Levy; Carolyn and Joseph Losos; Missouri Arts Council; Regional Arts Commission; SSM Health Care-St. Louis; Washington University in St. Louis

FAITH PARTNERS (List in Formation): Archdiocese of St. Louis; Baha’i Faith; Brentwood Christian Science Church; Hindu Temple; Islamic Community Center; Islamic Foundation; St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition; St. Louis Rabbinical Association; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

SPONSORING PARTNERS (List in Formation): Anti-Defamation League, Missouri/Southern Illinois; Catherine and James Berges; Dr. William Danforth; FOCUS St. Louis; Marilyn and Sam Fox; Franciscan Sisters of Mary; Holocaust Museum and Learning Center in Memory of Gloria M. Goldstein; International Institute of St. Louis; Nancy Kalishman; Eugene Kornblum; Nancy and Ken Kranzberg; Bishop Howard Nelson; Next Dor STL; Saint Louis University; Saint Louis University Hospital; Webster University

SUPPORTING PARTNERS (List in Formation): AJC St. Louis; Aquinas Institute of Theology; Eden Theological Seminary; Hispanic Arts Council; Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ; National Conference for Community & Justice of Metropolitan St. Louis; Southern Illinois University Carbondale; St. Louis Mosaic Project; St. Louis Public Schools; The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

MEDIA PARTNERS (List in Formation): St. Louis Beacon; St. Louis Jewish Light; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; St. Louis Public Radio; The Nine Network of Public Media