‘Requiem’ performances draw
nearly 3,000
Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published March 17, 2005
Detroit – Nearly 132 years ago, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem” Mass charted new territory when Verdi successfully petitioned the Church to allow women to sing. Last weekend, Norah Duncan IV, Ph.D., was the first person to be recognized with the Changing Lives Through Music Award at a “Requiem” performance at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.
Duncan, the cathedral’s director of music, was recognized for his 25 years as cathedral musician and his contributions to the cultural life of Detroit. The award, from both the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, was presented by Anne Parsons, president and executive director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Irvin Reid, Detroit Symphony Orchestra board member and president of Wayne State University.
Cardinal Adam Maida was in attendance and was awarded two certificates of appreciation, one recognizing the cathedral’s 100th anniversary and the many musical partnerships resulting in cathedral concerts, and the other for contributions and support of the Archdiocese of Detroit to the city’s cultural life. Parsons also presented Cardinal Maida with a commemorative poster signed by all the “Requiem” performers.
A total of 2,800 people attended the two performances. The 240 combined musicians and singers included members of the Archdiocesan Festival Chorus, Wayne State University Symphonic Chorus and the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, 115 young instrumentalists sponsored by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The “Requiem” performances were part of the Cathedral Cultural Series.
Verdi’s “Requiem” is dedicated to the memory of the great Italian patriot and author Alessandro Manzoni and is a work that places great demands on performers. It is set to the official Latin liturgical text of the funeral mass.
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