On this day of reflection, Performance Today listened in on memorial concerts from New York City, Washington, DC, and Atlanta.

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Music of Arvo Pärt
A year ago, Performance Today asked what music listeners were turning to for solace. One frequently mentioned composer was the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Here's his piece called "Summa." (Telarc 80387)

Music from Washington National Cathedral

On the evening of September 10th, the Palestrina Choir of Washington, directed by Michael Harrison, gave a special memorial concert at the National Cathedral (left), marking the start of the Cathedral's two days of special prayer services and concerts. The choir performed a gorgeous rendition of the prayer "Vide Domine" by 16th-century composer Clemens non Papa, and the "Agnus Dei" from Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's Missa Brevis. Washington National Cathedral's September 11 Web Site

Performance by Musicians for Harmony

In the wake of 9/11, three renowned chamber music ensembles in New York City formed an organization called Musicians for Harmony. Through a memorial concert held on September 10th, last night (9/10) at Merkin Concert Hall, the Guarneri (left), Juilliard, and Shanghai String Quartets, plus the specially formed Musique Sans Frontières (Musicians Without Borders), hoped to bring comfort and to encourage "peace among nations and individuals." Proceeds of the benefit concert went to the World Trade Center fund and Doctors Without Borders. Musique Sans Frontières performed "Longa" by Egyptian composer Riad Sounbati, and the Guarneris played movements 3 and 4 from Debussy's String Quartet in G minor. Musicians for Harmony Web Site

Spirituals from Morehouse

On September 11th, the acclaimed Morehouse College Glee Club sang in a candelight march through Atlanta to the city's Centennial Park. In the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Chapel prior to the march, Dr. David Morrow led the choir in the spirituals "Plenty Good Room" and "Got a Mind to Do Right." Extra: Fred Child interview with Dr. Morrow. Morehouse College Glee Club Home Page

Elgar's "Nimrod" and the Cathedral Bell

Back at the National Cathedral for the 9/11 morning vigil, the end of Sir Edward Elgar's "Lux aeterna" ("Eternal light"), a choral setting of "Nimrod" from his Enigma Variations, as sung by the Cathedral Choral Society under the direction of J. Reilly Lewis. Somber bells mark the 9:03 a.m. plane crash into the second World Trade Center tower. Cathedral Choral Society Web site