The Cry: A Requiem for the Lost Child

The Choral Arts Society of Southeastern Wisconsin (CAS) will present The Cry: A Requiem for the Lost Child on Saturday, October 21st 7PM at First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Avenue in Racine. This poignant composition kicks off CAS’s 37th season of presenting innovative choral programs.

British Contemporary composer Adrian Snell created The Cry as an act of remembrance for those affected by the loss of life or childhood due to violence. With author Murray Watts, Snell has musically woven the authentic words of children, who have suffered war, conflict, and ethnic cleansing, within the Requiem structure. The Choral Arts Society (CAS) will offer this work in honor of and in solidarity with the civilian victims of the war in Ukraine. The program will be enhanced by the artwork of Ukrainian children impacted by the war who were invited to paint at hospitals, orphanages, and art studios in Lviv by art therapists Nataliia and Yustyna Pavliuk. In January 2023, these works were exhibited at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago. American solo violinist Rebecca Engstrom—a Wisconsin native who collaborated on the composition and the world premiere—will perform with the CAS.

This multi-media performance will highlight the silent tragedy of innocent victims stuck in a terror they could not have imagined and a fight for life for which they were totally unprepared. Maestro Schatzman says of this unique composition, “The Cry is not simply a concert performance; it is an act of remembrance for children and adults who have needlessly lost their lives or their childhood amid political strife and war. Adrian’s remarkable composition weaves together the words of children from around the world with poetry and the ancient requiem texts to create a work that takes the feelings of anger, grief, and helplessness and helps each listener transform those into feelings of hope, healing, and peace.”

This fully orchestrated work will be supported by the Prairie School Choir under the direction of Fletcher Paulson. Students from the school will also serve as readers of wartime texts written by children from around the world. The music of The Cry weaves together the power of a combined adult and children’s choir, the timeless sounds of cathedral choristers, the intimacy of a string ensemble, the energy of rock music, and the might of a cathedral organ merged with ancient requiem texts and words of children and adults who lived through these devastating experiences. Attendees will experience profound emotions of compassion, spiritual restoration, and peacefulness at the concert’s end.

Tickets: Adult/Senior $25, Student $10. Advance tickets are available at Personal Touch by Julie Florist in Racine – 5445 Spring Street – with cash or check or online at www.choralartsonline.org. To contact the Choral Arts Society, email admin@cassewi.org or call (262) 634-3250. Advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended.

This season is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts, a grant from the Racine Community Foundation, a grant from the Racine Arts Council ArtSeed Grants Program with funds provided by the Wisconsin Arts Board, Real Racine, and the Racine Arts Council, and the generous support of individual donors and private foundations.