Missa Gaia Earth Mass

Please join me for what is sure to be a moving event in support of The Friends of the Columbia Gorge. The music brings together the sounds of Nature (howling wolves, humpback whales and others) with the sounds of blended voices, soprano sax, cello, English horn and an exuberant rhythm section!

A local festival community chorus of 65 voices, directed by Susan Peck, will present Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia/Earth Mass on August 24, to benefit local non-profit Friends of the Columbia Gorge. The music celebrates the sacred beauty of Mother Earth and all her creatures with chorus, solo voices, chamber ensemble, pipe organ, rhythm section, world-beat percussion, and the voices of timber wolves, harp seals, humpback whales, thrushes and loons.

This project is partly supported by a community participation project grant from RACC (Regional Arts and Culture Council). Peck has assembled a community chorus with singers from several local churches and community choirs including Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, Portland Lesbian Chorus, Aurora Chorus, Satori, Portland Peace Choir, Sing Portland, and PDX Vox. Singers in the choir have explored the Gorge on a number of hikes, and were filmed by MetroEast Community Media as they serenaded Wahkeena Falls with excerpts from the concert. http://speckletone.com/missa_gaia_hikes

Vocal soloists are Lauri Jones (New Thought Center for Spiritual Living, Cabaret Chanteuse) and Dustin Hunley (First Unitarian Church). Ensemble includes Mary Ellen Grace (soprano saxophone), Liz Byrd (‘cello), Betty Booher (English horn), Joe O’Donnell (pipe organ), Mitchell Falconer (piano), Michael Mandrell (guitar), Chip Herbert (bass), Tim Rap and Dianna Hnatiw (percussion). Michael Mandrell will play an opening set.