Takoma Park Ensemble Performs Social Justice Themed Concert

TAKOMA PARK, MD — The classical string orchestra The Takoma Ensemble will perform Heaven and Earth: Spirituality in Music at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Silver Spring April 8.

The concert explores spirituality from various angles and issues of social justice in response to the current political climate.

“I have always been fascinated by the ways people find to express that which is inexpressible—the deepest emotions, like joy and grief, as well as those moments of wonder and awe—all things that find their way into people's sense of spirituality," Conductor Victoria Gau said in a statement. "When expressed through music, spirituality transcends individual communities, cultures, and creeds and points to our common humanity—something sorely needed right now.”

The Takoma Ensemble has recently focused on the social justice theme in the wake of current events. In January, the group performed works by immigrant composers and hosted a Q&A panel to discuss using the arts for change.

April's concert will explore the ways in which music can further unite America's diverse backgrounds, this time in terms of religion.

Attendees can expect works from the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as religious themes dating back to ancient Egyptian and early Jewish manuscripts and sacred Renaissance music. He's currently a professor at the University of Maryland.

Two guest artists will join the ensemble for this program — Grammy nominee Noah Getz on the saxophone and world renowned musician Lee Hinkle on the marimba.

Getz was hailed as a "highly skillful and an even more highly adventurous player" by Washington City Paper. He's performed worldwide, including appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Phillips Collection. He received a Grammy nomination with the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet and is currently a musician-in-residence at American University in DC.

Hinkle is a percussionist and baritone vocalist who is now the principal percussionist with the 21st Century Consort. Notable performances have included the American Wind Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra.

The Silver Spring-based organization Interfaith Works is co-sponsoring the concert. Interfaith Works is a non-sectarian organization serving as an outreach program for homeless adults in Montgomery County.

Catch the performance at 7:30 p.m. at 633 Sligo Ave., Silver Spring. Tickets are $10-$25 and are available here.

Photo: Takoma Ensemble- Classical String Orchestra