Gaude Mater Festival promotes interfaith dialogue
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
03.05.2015 12:23
The Gaude Mater International Festival of Sacred Music is on at the Black Madonna shrine in Częstochowa, promoting interfaith dialogue Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
The main basilica at the Jasna Góra Monastery, Czestochowa. Photo: wikicommons/polar123
The highlight of the inaugural day was a concert marking the 80th birthday of Estonian-born composer Arvo Part, one of the greatest living composers of sacred music.
His works were performed by the Polish chamber choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis and the countertenor Andreas Scholl. Arvo Part is the special guest of the festival.
The programme of the 25th edition of ‘Gaude Mater’, which lasts until 8 May, includes twenty concerts by musicians from Austria, Georgia, Estonia, Spain, Israel, Germany, Hungary, Britain and Poland.
Featured artists also include such household names as the guitar virtuoso Paco Pena, jazz pianist and composer, 2014 Grammy winner Włodek Pawlik, and the King’s Singers.
According to its organizers, the ‘Gaude Mater’ Festival has a two-fold mission – to foster the dialogue between Christianity, Judaism and Islam by presenting the music of these monoteistic religions and to promote Polish sacred music, both early and contemporary. (mk/nh)