MidAtlantic Opera to Donate 1/3 of Proceeds From 'A Prayer for Peace' Concert to UNRHC for Refugee Relief

In celebration of World Peace Day and Pope Francis's visit, the MidAtlantic Opera (MAO) has announced that it will donate one-third of net proceeds from "A Prayer For Peace," MAO's inaugural concert on the Perelman Stage of the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, October 17 to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for refugee relief.

"A Prayer for Peace" will feature classical music selections from composers of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths whose music transcends its individual context and gives voice to the composers' visions of peace in response to conflict and violence. The program includes theElegy for cello and strings by Behzad Ranjbaran, selections from Ahmed Adnan Saygun's rarely performed Yanus Emre oratorio,Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Ralph Vaughan Williams's Dona Nobis Pacem.

Stephen Lasher, MidAtlantic Opera's President explained the decision to make a significant donation to the UNHRC: "In planning 'A Prayer For Peace,' MAO Artistic Director Jason Tramm chose powerful music rooted in the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths that echoes Leonard Bernstein's eloquent response to world violence: 'This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before." During rehearsals, as the Syrian refugee crisis exploded, the tragic headlines that 71 Syrians were found dead in a truck in Austria prompted Pope Francis to call for an end to violence against refugees. It was immediately clear that this was MAO's opportunity to heed the Pontiff's call."

Dr. Andrea Bartoli, Dean of Seton Hall's School of Diplomacy and International Relations and a major sponsor of "A Prayer For Peace," strongly supported MAO's decision to donate to the UNHRC. "Music is a gift of peace. Sharing in the proceedings of the first "Prayer For Peace" concert at Carnegie Hall is a gift of humanity."

Bartoli, an international conflict resolution expert who has served in key academic and diplomatic positions for more than two decades, has served as Dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University since 2013. As a major sponsor of "A Prayer For Peace," Dean Bartoli and The School of Diplomacy and International Relations will hold a Symposium on Music and Conflict onSaturday October 3 to illustrate and raise awareness about the Oct.17 Carnegie Hall concert. Maestro Tramm will conduct the University Chamber Choir with selections about peace.

According to Lasher, who is a Seton Hall alumnus (Class of '80), and regularly performs in the chorus, the seeds for "A Prayer For Peace" were planted shortly after MidAltantic Opera's performance of Rigoletto in October, 2014. Artistic Director Jason Tramm was already busy planning MAO's 2015 season when it struck him that music would be the perfect bridge to peace in a world wracked with conflict. Having conducted programs for The Sister Rose Thering Fund on Seton Hall University's campus to support Jewish-Christian inter-faith dialogue, Jason saw an opportunity to use the power of music to unite an audience of Christians, Jews and Muslims together in "A Prayer for Peace." His vision drew the enthusiastic support from Dean Andrea Bartoli and Deirdre Yates, Dean of the College of Communications and the Arts. By mid-summer, a 100-voice chorus and 60-piece orchestra began rehearsals, which will culminate in the concert at Carnegie Hall on October 17.

Co-Sponsored by Seton Hall University, "A Prayer For Peace" takes place on Saturday, October 17 (8 pm) at on the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage of the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Ticket prices range from $10 - $90. Order tickets online at www.carnegiehall.org, by phone at CarnegieCharge (212-247-7800) or at the Carnegie Hall box office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City. Student and senior discounts are available at the box office only. Group ticket discounting is available to your organization by calling 212-903-9705 Monday-Friday, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM or Online at groupsales@carnegiehall.org.

The MidAtlantic Opera Chorus and Orchestra and Seton Hall University Choir will be conducted by Jason C. Tramm. Soloists include cellistMihai Marica; Rochelle Bard, soprano; mezzo-soprano Sara Murphy; countertenor Ray Chenez; tenor Theodore Chletsos; and bass-baritone Kevin Short.

Verona New Jersey resident, Stephen Lasher added: "A Prayer For Peace," with its varied religious and cultural complexities, has been designed to bring disparate peoples together to collectively share a prayer for peace, and to move us to remember that we do indeed belong to each other. Each participant, from performer to sponsor to ticket buyer, will share equally in the impact the MidAtlantic Opera's donation will make on the lives refugees in need. Mother Theresa said, 'If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other'. MAO's donation will ensure that long after the final note of Vaughan Williams' 'Dona Nobis Pacem' is sung on October 17, one life may breathe easier. And we'll move closer to belonging to each other."

MidAtlantic Opera is New Jersey's newest professional opera company, now entering its third season of performances. It is one of very few opera companies that calls New Jersey its home and that is regularly presenting professional level operatic works. MidAtlantic Opera's mission is to inspire audiences and enrich the cultural life of the community by sharing the aesthetic power, and intellectual and emotional engagement of world class opera.

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