VFW Post 406 and the greater public are invited for a spectacular choral and orchestral event combining the Professional Choristers of the Choir School of Newport County, The Advanced Vocal Ensemble of St. George’s School, Members of the choir of Trinity Episcopal Church Newport, the Choirs of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Burlington, Vermont, guest singers, soloists from VT, RI, NY and Montréal, and the Rhode Island Festival Orchestra of twenty players.
English cathedral grandeur, modern solace, and plaintive cries for peace prepare us for the second half, the 45-minute A Poet’s Requiem by Peter S. Berton (founding Executive Director of The Choir School of Newport County), directed by the composer. You won’t want to miss this journey of the soul—from birth through love, praise, reflection and death to eternal life—in poetry and song.
A Preface on Remembrance
Both Veterans Day and Memorial Day were established to recognize and honor the men and women who have
worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces.
Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, was originally set aside as a day for remembering
and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or
as a result of wounds sustained in battle.
Veterans Day is intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military—living and dead—
whether in wartime or peace. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living Veterans for their service,
to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that
all those who served—not only those who died—have sacrificed and done their duty.
Additionally, major world religions set aside days and/or specific ceremonies within their holy days for the
remembrance of the departed members of their communities. Many add individual traditions to these various
observances, including ceremonies for departed animals and for our environment. While in the course of ten
years in the Newport, Rhode Island community, this concert has had natural military as well as religious
overtones of various strengths, the common refrain is one of tribute to those who have been, and remain, part of
our lives. The poem below is beautifully representative of this universality, resonant with the themes expressed in
this afternoon’s poetry and music while shorn of all national and religious specificity. May this year’s observances,
for you and yours as a result of this concert, be experienced deeply a bit earlier this year than usual, acccompanied
by more of nature’s astounding beauty and annual reassurance of sustaining transformation and rebirth.
