Dona Nobis Pacem

Join the Salt Lake Choral Artists, soloists, and chamber orchestra as we unite our voices with a plea for peace. “Dona Nobis Pacem: Grant Us Peace” will feature the monumental Dona Nobis Pacem by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Written in 1936, with the violence and destruction of a world war still in recent memory, the anxieties of a new impending war were already approaching. Employing the poetry of Walt Whitman (1819-1892), a speech by British reformist John Bright (1811-1889), and passages from scripture, Vaughan Williams created a heartbreaking, poignant, and ultimately glorious statement that feels as relevant today as it ever has.

Also featuring text by Walt Whitman, a performance of “A Jubilant Song” by Norman Dello Joio, and the first performance in Utah of “A Silence Haunts Me” by Jake Runestad. In this haunting piece, the composer uses Beethoven’s own words as he reflected on his increasing deafness and despair. Beethoven then shares his hope to overcome his physical and emotional ailments to fulfill his artistic destiny and find his inner peace and joy despite his hardships.