Southern Nebraska Register
The Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln will host its second “Give Glory to God” concert on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
A highlight of the concert will be “Bread of Angels,” a work by a Lincoln native, commissioned by the Cathedral of the Risen Christ specifically for this event,
John Kosch is a member of the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln and one of the organists at Cathedral. He teaches applied composition at Concordia University in Seward and is completing his doctorate in music composition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Kosch was commissioned to compose a piece featuring the Cathedral organ and honoring the Eucharist during the National Eucharistic Revival.
“I worked briefly on the composition at the Cathedral organ to ensure what I had written was a good fit for our instrument,” Kosch said of composing “Bread of Angels.”
“It’s rare that a composer gets to write with a specific organ in mind, so I felt a great responsibility to feature its strengths.”
Using the words of the “Corpus Christi Sequence,” Kosch set out to encounter the divine in his work and then to share that experience through the piece, “to create something modest but undeniably powerful.”
The concert will also include “Te Deum in F” by John Ireland and “Salve Regina Pacis” by Xavier Dotras. It will feature a choir of 60 or more voices from across the diocese as well as the Plymouth Brass with other orchestra musicians, coming together as a 10-member orchestra to accompany Mozart’s “Coronation Mass.”
The first Give Glory to God concert was held in 2022 as a response to a meeting between Cathedral’s choir director Amy Flamminio, organist David Schmidt, and pastor Msgr. Thomas Fucinaro, where they discussed ways to foster appreciation for sacred music in the parish and diocese.
“We hoped to give many people a chance to sing amazing music and grow in fellowship with other parish musicians,” shared Amy Flamminio. “It far surpassed our goals and dreams, and I am excited to see how it grows this year.”
Proceeds from the concert will support the cost of restoring the Cathedral organ, whereas the first concert in 2022 supported the general arts fund at Cathedral.
While the Cathedral organ is ultimately priceless due to its customization, it is valued at more than $1.5 million and repairs will cost more than $20,000. The concert aims to display the beauty and power of the organ, ultimately pointing all to the grandeur and majesty of God.
All are invited to attend the event in the Cathedral Sunday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free for all to attend, and a donation basket will be passed during the event.
