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Friday, October 25, 2002

By Marilyn A. Posner

Brady Allred found his mission in an e-mail.

	Bach Choir Of Pittsburgh WHEN & WHERE: 8 p.m. Saturday, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair; 4 p.m. Sunday, East Liberty Presbyterian Church. SOLOISTS: Ted Bushman, boy soprano; Lucy Scandrett, harp; Neil Stahurski, organ. TICKETS: $7-$18, 412-394-3353. WEB SITE: www.artsnet.org/bachoir

After a culturally varied concert by the Bach Choir last year, the artistic director got an intriguing message from an audience member:

"Only in America can a director educated at a Mormon university, who teaches at a Catholic university, lead a public audience in a Jewish prayer/chant in a Presbyterian cathedral. The public audience loved it! If only our enemies knew this about us, they would no longer be enemies."

Allred, who has always tried to use choral music as an outreach to the community, was invigorated by the notion and decided to redouble his efforts for a concert this year.

The Bach Choir's season opener, "The Children of Abraham," focuses on music representing the three religions that trace their ancestry to Abraham: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

"We want to use music as a vehicle of peace," Allred says.

He sought out choral works set to sacred texts of each religion to bring awareness of the similarities in cultures that have recently dwelled on their differences.

Muslim composer Dilorom Saidaminova of Uzbekistan was asked by her son, Duquesne University violin student Tigran Shiganyan, to create a new piece. Her 10-minute work, "Azan," will premiere on the program.

"She has used harmonies and melodic lines in a Middle Eastern style and flavor," says Allred of the piece, which also will use organ, piano and Shiganyan on violin.

Composer David Fanshawe's work uses a recording of the Muslim "Call to Prayer" (the only Muslim sacred text permitted to be sung) as a background to the Christian "Kyrie."

Glenn Rudolph's "The Dream Isaiah Saw," which the Bach Choir premiered last December, features text taken from a Thomas Troeger poem.

Also on the program are Leo Nestor's "A Jerusalem Triptych," Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" and three versions of the 23rd Psalm -- Chichester, Christian and Jewish. Local cantor Shira Adler-Dickson and a group of Jewish singers will add their voices to the program.

"For our people to sing in Arabic and Hebrew was a little tricky," says Allred, "but when they see what good it will do with our audiences, they will understand a little better."

Marilyn A. Posner is a freelance writer living in Washington, Pa.