Heaven & Earth: Celtic Mass

Here's the local show that I'm performing in:

"HEAVEN & EARTH: A CELTIC MASS"
by Ben Allaway

First Christian Church, 25th and University Avenue, Des Moines
Tickets: $15 in advance, $17 at the door, $10 student
Join the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble in collaboration with other co-commissioning choirs, Tommy Sands and Tim Diebel, narrators, and Ben Allaway, conductor, in the world premiere performance of this new work by Des Moines composer, Ben Allaway. Featuring Tommy Sands and his Band from Northern Ireland, Heaven & Earth: A Celtic Mass is an epic tale of the Celtic Spirit of the people of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England, and of those who brought this culture to cities, farms and mountain dwellings across America. Iowa composer Ben Allaway traveled to the Celtic countries and to Celtic strongholds in America, to many places where his own ancestors lived on both sides of the ocean. He has combined his keen understanding of traditional choral writing with his love of folk music, scoring the work for choir, Celtic band, organ and soloists. Hear tales of historic figures, individuals, and families, told against the emotional landscape of the traditional Latin mass. Coeli et Terra - or, Heaven and Earth - a recurring phrase in the Mass, is meaningful to Celtic spirituality which acknowledges the relationship between the Creation we can see - the visibilium - and the part of Creation in the spirit realm - the invisibilium. Celtic peoples' strong connection with the earth, the sea, sky, fire, wind and rain, and the "thin places" where the tangible world meets the unseen heavenly places close enough to touch, makes for vivid imagery and emotional story-telling.