Joe Negri's performance with his trio and the newly formed Saint Vincent Jazz Choir will be a match made in heaven Saturday.

Sort of.

The music will be an hour-long performance of "Mass of Hope: The Mass in the Jazz Idiom," which Mr. Negri wrote years ago and continued to develop into an entire performance of sacred music for Catholic liturgy.

It has been performed as part of liturgical worship, and it has been performed in other venues as sacred music.

On Saturday, it will be presented at the Robert S. Carey Student Center, on the Saint Vincent College campus in Unity. It will be under the direction of jazz choir director Thomas Octave, of Oakmont.

Mr. Negri will perform with the trio of Max Leake (piano), Paul Thompson (bass) and Tom Wendt (drums).

"Hope is always possible through music, especially music that is derived in a hopeful God," he said about the title of the program, which is also the title of the CD that Mr. Negri released in 2001.

The program is being presented through the support of Saint Vincent President Jim Towey; Archabbot Douglass Nowicki; the Rev. Rene Kollar; and Brother Nathan Cochran.

"Hope is something the world needs and is constantly looking for," Mr. Negri said.

He is nationally known as Handyman Negri, a role that he played for 35 years on PBS' "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

He also is recognized as one of Pittsburgh's great jazz artists, and that reputation in the 1970s led to his being commissioned to compose music for a Mass when the National Catholic Educational Association Convention was in Pittsburgh.

"I originally wrote it in a rather simple format with some jazz combo in the mid-1960s," he said. "They wanted something that was a little different from a folk mass."

Mr. Negri incorporated typical jazz styles with harmonies and syncopations, bringing to life sacred parts of the liturgy, such as the Kyrie, Gloria and Credo. The result, he said, is melodious and solemn.

"If you like popular music or jazz, I think you will get a lot out of it," he said. "Parts of it can even get you off your feet a little bit and get you clapping your hands."

Ten years after the Mass was first created, Mr. Negri expanded his original work and made more use of instruments and vocalists. He put it aside for 20 more years, then finally made adjustments to include a mixture of instruments and a full choir.

Cantor soloists will be Thomas Douglas, director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and Anna Ciaccio, a vocal major who attends Duquesne University.

"We are doing something that is much bigger than a little concert," Mr. Octave said. "The audience, by buying the tickets, is like a circle of giving; it gives possibility.

"We are doing something that is very important to help people to have hope at a time when the world has very little encouragement."

This is not the first time these two have worked together. Years ago, at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, Mr. Negri and Mr. Octave worked collectively with different choirs to present the Mass of Hope.

"I think the world of Joe for what he has given to the region," Mr. Octave said. "He has been an inspiration and I hope that his presence inspires people to support their community and art at Saint Vincent."

This will be Mr. Negri's first time working in the Carey Auditorium. He said it will be exciting to be there.

"People need to know how many students here have goodwill," Mr. Octave said. "I am totally moved by their goodness."

Choir member Alyssa Hennessy, a freshman from Latrobe, said the music is unlike what is usually sung in church.

"It's more fun," she said. "Mr. Octave is a great director; he has so much energy."

And with this exciting event being the jazz choir's first performance, it's no wonder that the students are thrilled.

"I feel very honored," said senior Janelle Imbrescia, of Monessen. "Everything that I have done here at Saint Vincent, I feel proud to be a part of.

"I don't think people realize how much opportunity there is to be involved with music and performances around here. This will give the people an opportunity to see the talent at Saint Vincent College."

Mr. Octave agrees, noting how many people drive to Pittsburgh to experience "that certain level" of talent.

He wants to fill the auditorium Saturday. About 200 more tickets have to be sold.

The show will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students and are available by calling the Saint Vincent College Department of Fine Arts' box office at 724-805-2565.