‘This Too Shall Pass’ Nov. 23

Guest conductor André de Quadros joins Washington University Choirs

The Washington University Choirs will be joined by renowned conductor André de Quadros Nov. 23 for a concert highlighting the music of Muslim communities. (Credit: Whitney Curtis/WUSTL Photo)

I follow the religion of love
wherever love is found
for love is my religion and my faith.

-From “Adinu”

In 2010, André de Quadros conducted an unusual concert: musicians from the Israeli Efroni Choir and the Palestinian Sawa Choir gathered together for a performance in East Jerusalem.

André de Quadros

The project, known as Community Heartsong, proved so successful that the musicians have continued to meet on a regular basis. A highlight of their repertoire is “Adinu,” a choral version of the classical Sufi Muslim hymn, as arranged by de Quadros and the Jordanian-born conductor Shireen Abu-Khader.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, de Quadros — a Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis — will conduct the Washington University Choirs in a performance of “Adinu” as part of the concert “This Too Shall Pass.”

The free concert will feature both composed and improvised works, with a special emphasis on the musical practices of Muslim communities. Also on the program will be works by Robert Schumann, Ivo Antognini and Ysaye M. Barnwell, as well as contemporary arrangements of traditional works from Norway, Turkey and Indonesia.

Rounding out the program will be the world premiere of “Equinox,” an original composition by Washington University junior Kelly Stathis, a student assistant in the Gaylord Music Library. The piece is based on a poem of the same title by junior David Davison, also written especially for this concert.

De Quadros, EdD, a professor of music at Boston University, is an ethnomusicologist, human rights activist and music educator who has conducted and/or undertaken research in more than 40 countries. His research interests lie in arts and health, incarceration, music of the Muslim world and Indonesia, community choruses, and peace and conflict.

The Washington University Choirs are led by Nicole Aldrich, head of performance, lecturer and director of choral activities for the Department of Music. Pianist will be Sandra Geary.

“This Too Shall Pass” is sponsored by the Department of Music and takes place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall of the university’s 560 Music Center. Support for the Distinguished Visiting Scholar program is provided by the Office of the Provost.

The 560 Music Center is located at 560 Trinity Ave., in University City. For more information, call 314-935-5566 or e-mail daniels@wustl.edu.

Nicole Aldrich leads the Washington University Choirs. (Credit: Whitney Curtis/WUSTL Photo)