Concert to memorialize victims of terrorism

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany will host a performance of Faure's "Requiem," "And I Saw a New Heaven" by Edgar Bainton and "Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee" by Johannes Brahms. Wm. Glenn Osborne, the Cathedral's music director and organist, is billing the event as "a concert dedicated to remembrance and peace."

The concert will gather vocal and instrumental talents from across the Diocese. Soloists include Cathedral choir member Angela Adragna, a voice major at The University at Albany, and noted local singer Eugene Tobey.

Mr. Osborne said it was "quite an adventure" to organize more than 80 singers from widespread parishes and plan their rehearsals. In addition, he said, the orchestra created for the event includes strings, harp, horns and organ.

The director chose the "Requiem" -- a piece by French composer Gabriel Faure and the focal point of the concert -- because it was easy for the group to learn in just a few rehearsals, as well as being a memorial piece.

Since the concert will take place almost exactly six months after Sept. 11, Mr. Osborne said, "it allows us to remember those who perished that day."

The other pieces in the performance, he added, were chosen to "help us cope and move on. This is a chance for us to come together and be comforted."

The concert also marks a celebration of sorts: Mr. Osborne noted that this year is the 150th anniversary of the Cathedral. The performance, he said, will also serve as "a memory of all those who have passed before us in the history of the Cathedral."

(Faure's "Requiem" will be performed March 3, 3 p.m., at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. Admission is free. For information, call 463-4744.)

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