A live musical presentation that celebrates the life of Santa Teresa in Calcutta will be the main attraction on September 6 at the Music Center at Strathmore in Washington DC, after a successful presentation in the historic Carnegie Hall in New York.
“Journey of Faith: A Musical Tribute to Mother Teresa” (Faith trip: a musical tribute to Mother Teresa) Highlights the life and legacy of the saint, especially their service to the poor through the congregation that founded: the missioners of charity.
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The live musical event is directed by Dante Santiago Anzolini and will feature the participation of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the baritone is Michael Plumb and the soprano Catherine Wethington, who is also the curator of the show.
In 2019, Wethington was invited to sing at a camera music festival in the Balkans, which included a concert in Skopie, Macedonia – mother city of Mother Teresa. There he visited a museum about the life and legacy of the beloved Santa and met a musical piece titled “Divine Waltz, Hymn to Mother Teresa” (Vals Divino, Hymn to Mother Teresa), commissioned by Diajana Toksa for the Holy Canonization Ceremony in the Vatican in 2016.
The work, composed of Genc Tukiçi, uses a poem written by Mother Teresa when she left her homeland to accept her call to the Ministry, and was based on a musical motive composed of her cousin, Lorenc Antoni. Wethington was invited in 2023 to be the solo soprano at the Albanian premiere of this piece, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Beatification of the saint.
“The experience of interpreting this work in Tirana and recognizing that Santa Teresa continues to have a revolutionary impact on the lives of people today led me to create a program that celebrates its path, its courage and your faith,” Wethington told CNA – Ewtn News English agency – in an interview.
The first part of the musical program focuses on the Ministry of Mother Teresa with the sick and dying, and in the belief that death is not the end, but leads to something bigger. The second part focuses on his earthly life: his childhood, his time in India and his Catholic faith.
“The program is a combination of sacred and secular works that place us in the physical places of their way or highlights parts of their life, from their youth to their struggles of faith and its global inspiration,” Wethington explained.
The soprano said that “people leave the evening recognizing that their message can impact our communities today, especially when we are surrounded by so much suffering.”
He added: “It is tempting to place Mother Teresa on a pedestal so high that her impact seems unattainable. His greatness did not sprout of perfection, but grew from perseverance, faith and tireless compassion for the overwhelming need.”
“His most famous words resonate as a challenge throughout the decades: ‘Small things made with great love will change the world’. This is not a simple feeling, it is a call to action, ”said Wethington.
“His message was elegantly simple: loving without condition, serving without pride, acting without waiting for a reward. In doing so, he showed that even a single gift, fully delivered, can transform the world. We can also transform the world.”
Tickets for presentation in Washington, DC, can be found here.
Translated and adapted by ACI Press. Originally published in CNA.
Francesca Purchio Fenton
Francesca Pollio Fenton is responsible for social networks of Catholic News Agency. He received his degree in communications with emphasis on digital media from the University of Colorado, in Denver (United States).