From the Dean
Elizabeth Davenport, Dean of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
As the new academic year begins, our all-new website points to exciting things happening at Rockefeller Chapel and in the University's new Spiritual Life Office - a virtual office, run by the Dean and staff of Rockefeller Chapel, providing support to members of the campus community of any religious background and also to those who seek spiritual life beyond traditional boundaries.
We have an adventurous program of autumn special events at Rockefeller, starting with the visit of Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Cassandra Wilson, on Friday September 25, and two concerts of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival the following day, and including a four-night run of Redmoon Theater's production of Hunchback (October 22-25), two visual arts installations, and much splendid music.
Concerts and choral performances include:
- Choral Evensong on Tuesday October 27
- International television personality Diane Bish giving an organ recital, the first of the new Brian Gerrish Organ Performance Series, on Sunday November 8
- Sounds of Faith: An Evening of Sacred Sound, introduced by Bill Kurtis and to be filmed for public television, with Cantor Alberto Mizrahi, Amir Koushkani, the Salem Baptist Choir with director Walter Owens, and the Rockefeller Chapel Choir with director James Kallembach and University Organist Thomas Weisflog, in collaboration with Harran Productions Foundation, on Sunday November 15
- The annual winter performance of Handel's Messiah, presented by the Music Department, on Friday December 4
- The Advent Vespers Concert: There Stood an Angel on Sunday December 6
- And another visit by the celebrated Bella Voce: A Midwinter Garland, on Sunday December 13
Music on Sunday mornings includes a glorious variety of sacred repertoire, including selections from the Kenyan Missa Luba, settings of the Mass by Victoria and Palestrina, music of Hildegard of Bingen, the deeply moving Requiem by Herbert Howells (for All Saints Day, November 1), and much more. You'll find full details under Events on this website.
And Tea and Pipes, our celebrated Tuesday teatime organ recitals, begin again on Tuesday September 22, along with integrative spiritual programming of various kinds. I'm especially excited that we are partnering with Chicago's Ancient Dragon Zen Gate to offer weekly Zen meditation on Wednesdays at 5 (instruction, followed by meditation, with Taigen Dan Leighton offering monthly dharma talks). This new series begins Wednesday September 30, the first week of the new quarter.
Concurrent with the launch of this website, we have begun distributing a new printed publication detailing autumn special events at the Chapel. Please contact Lorraine Brochu with your mailing address if you would like to be added to our mailing list for occasional publications of this kind.
