This fall, the MU Choral Union and University Singers, along with the Dr. John McKeever’s ensemble, University Philharmonic, are set to deliver a powerful and moving concert titled “Give Us Peace.” The program features Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, a profound and timely plea for peace. Composed during a period of growing fear and unrest, Vaughan Williams drew upon texts from the Mass, three poems by Walt Whitman, a political speech, and passages from the Bible to craft a work that resonates with the anxieties of both his time and even today. In addition, the concert will include selections from Leonard Bernstein’s MASS, a piece that explores the dramatic tension between faith and doubt. Bernstein, working with additional texts by Stephen Schwartz, used the structure of the Roman Mass to create a work that is both spiritually reflective and theatrically exciting. This concert promises to be an evening of deep emotional resonance and musical theatre. We hope you’ll join us for this extraordinary showcase of choral and instrumental excellence.