The concert will begin with Cry of the Children, a dramatic cantata composed by Musica Plenti’s distinguished Artistic Director, Robert Puleo. The texts are poems of evocative beauty written by students who have attended the United Nations International School in New York City. They are filled with the unforgettable voices of children who have experienced war and violence in their own lives and who long for a new world transformed by peace.

The second half of the program will be devoted to the world premiere of Robert Puleo’s On This New Morning. This work, long in the making, is based on texts by John Giuliani that speak to the deep interconnected-ness of all peoples as well as to the urgent need to renew the earth that sustains us.

The concert will close with a unique musical experience growing out of the recent national tragedy in China. The terrible earthquake last May that occurred in China’s Szechaun province brought forth a wide range of global responses, including a deeply moving poem written by a Chinese poet and set to music by a well-known Chinese composer. Their song is a simple one of haunting beauty and Musica Plenti will perform it in its original mandarin. In addition, there will be a simultaneous video display with English subtitles of scenes from the actual earthquake. This final piece will be recorded live and subsequently made available on YouTube to reach a world-wide audience.