“With One Voice: Unity Through Art” mixed music and writing from different world views and religions in a concert that celebrated the blessing of water.

The concert was presented by the music department as part of the Sacred Arts Festival at 8 p.m. Friday, April 8, in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Both the liturgical and concert choirs were featured in the performance, as well as guest artists Cantus and Nirmala Rajasekar with Thanjavur Murugaboopathi.

Sacred Waters series

The concert was part of the Sacred Arts Festival’s Sacred Water series. The Sacred Arts Festival presents various artistic forms including music, drama, poetry, dance, painting and film.

Liturgical choir director Aaron Brown began the performance by explaining the concert’s greater purpose.

“Art and music are universal,” Brown said. “The concert is about how art and music can bring understanding between different people and religions.”

Brown said the Sacred Waters theme is timely in the wake of the tsunami in Japan.

“Water is one of the most powerful elements,” Brown said. “It’s an element that comforts and terrifies; brings life and brings death.”

Diversity through art

The concert included various musical performances about water from different religions.

Liturgical choir member and freshman Katie Erickson said she was pleased with the wide selection of music.

“It’s supposed to be very multicultural,” Erickson said, noting one of the choir’s songs was in Hebrew.

“It’s a bit difficult to start learning [the music] but it always comes together,” Erickson said.

Cantus, a nationally-recognized ensemble, performed several songs from the Native American world view.

Fellow guests Rajasekar and Murugaboopathi played songs from southern India with a sitar and traditional drum. The duo was joined by Cantus and performed an improvised Indian melody in ancient Sanskrit.

A sacred variety

Different sacred texts, poetry or prayers about water were read between musical numbers. A poem about a tsunami, a Muslim blessing and a Hindu peace prayer were among the readings.

Junior Patric Driessen said he was impressed by the variety of music.

“There was a good mix of different sounds and types,” Driessen said. “I thought it was very interesting.”

Freshman Elizabeth Banks said the concert was a great display of the vocal talent at St. Thomas. Banks also said the concert lived up to its theme.

“It was about embracing the respect we should have for water,” Banks said. “It was spiritually uplifiting.”

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.