9/11 Concert -- A Huge Success!

I wish everyone could have been at our Concert Thursday night! There were NO dry eyes in the place, including the participants. We opened the concert with a beautiful rendition of "Hymn to the Savior" by Edward Kremser. Prior to the singing, our most able and humble conductor (and the composer of the 9/11 Requiem), Dr. Robert Herman, read from my poem "After the Dust Has Settled," which I wrote on the eve of 9/11/2001. He did a magnificent job of creating the feeling that I felt on that awful day. I have never heard it read with so much emotion!

We then presented Dr. Herman's work, "Requiem 9-11" and though it was sung entirely in Latin, the meaning and understanding of the emotion of the piece came through loud and clear. It was a most moving experience. After the Requiem, we paused for a moment of silence to remember all those who lost their lives on that day seven years ago and those who have given their lives for the cause of Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. We closed with another Robert Herman piece, "Christ is our Light."

After the performance, the choir filed out to greet the audience as they left. The looks on their faces told the story of what they were feeling. And then I saw my son, tall and magnificent, with tears streaming down his cheeks, walking out of the hall and I ran to hug him! Billy had driven 2 1/2 hours to come and see us perform in this concert and I was overjoyed to see him. We all caught our breath, greeted some more friends and then walked out of the building to see two spotlights facing skyward, side by side, just as they did in N.Y.C. all those long years ago to light the area of the missing twin towers. More tears flowed.

Do I need to tell you that this was a successful concert? I think you get the picture! I will long remember this day.