Our Bureau
New York, NY
ECG Productions Inc. and Legato Arts present Journey of Faith: A Musical Tribute to Mother Teresa, featuring Dante Santiago Anzolini, conductor; Catherine Wethington, soprano; and Sean Michael Plumb, baritone; and including pieces by Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli, and Philip Glass, on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 8pm at the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, W. 57th Street. and Seventh Avenue, NYC. Tickets start at $19. For more information visit its website.
This one-night musical event at Carnegie Hall will celebrate the life of Saint Mother Teresa and highlight her legacy of service to the poor throughout the world. With renowned conductor Maestro Dante Santiago Anzolini, the acclaimed Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and other world-class performers, the event will offer traditional and new compositions from luminaries in the music world, featuring four U.S. premieres and pieces by three living U.S. composers. The program of classical and contemporary works reflects elements of the life of one of the greatest humanitarian leaders of modern times and features soprano Catherine Wethington, winner of the 2023 City of Brescia Tribute to Maria Callas International Competition, and baritone Sean Michael Plumb, winner of the 2016 Metropolitan Opera Council National Auditions and the 2016 Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, as well as a Tribute Chorale of professional singers prepared by Vladimiras Konstantinovas.
Mother Teresa was a global pioneer in bringing God’s work to the masses, and the performance will be a curation of music with both historical significance and modern interpretations of her life. It is fitting that her legacy be honored with an evening that will impress, entertain, and most importantly, inspire. The concert’s program reflects various elements of Mother Teresa’s life. Highlights include Fauré’s TRequiem and the American premiere of Albanian composer Genc Tukiçi’s Hymn for Mother Teresa, which was first performed at the canonization ceremony for Saint Teresa at the Vatican in 2016 and later performed in Albania on October 19, 2023, featuring Catherine Wethington, soprano, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her beatification. Additional repertoire includes the U.S. premiere of Holst’s Act III: Interlude from the opera Sita Op 23; “5” from New York composer Nico Muhly’s The Last Letter; Missy Mazzoli’s These Worlds in Us; and the 11th movement of Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 5, “Paradise.”
“It is sincerely my honor to lead this program of beautiful music dedicated to Saint Teresa,” shares conductor Maestro Anzolini. “Each work represents an important facet of her inspiring journey on this earth: Muhly’s mournful tones evoke the loneliness and abandonment of Calcutta’s leper community, Mazzoli’s meditative work examines how grief and joy can be intertwined as one, the Indian culture [Saint Teresa] embraced is represented in Holst’s Hindi musical themes and Sanskrit literature, and in Glass’ “Paradise,” we celebrate her transition to her eternal home.”
Mother Teresa was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 to parents of Albanian heritage. She responded to a call to the religious ministry in Ireland and later founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious organization dedicated to serving the “poorest of the poor” in the slums of Calcutta, India. In recognition of her service to humanity, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and canonized Saint Teresa by Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2016.
A significant portion of the funds raised in connection with the concert will benefit Mother Teresa’s work, both locally in New York City and overseas, aligned with her mission of serving the most vulnerable. The organizations supported are devoted to providing food, shelter, and care to the homeless, the sick, and the marginalized, just as Mother Teresa did in her lifetime.
