““Heavenly Music” Celebrates 40 years of SOME

StreetSense.org

July 8 - July 21, 2009 

By Vanessa Voigt

The nonprofit organization SOME (So Others May Eat) celebrated its 40th anniversary of serving the poor on July 1 with a heavenly concert, Beatitude Mass (For the Home- less), by members of the Georgetown Chorus, San Jose Symphonic Choir and Monterey Symphony Chorus. To match the breathtaking sounds of strings and voices, the concert was hosted within the magnificent crypt of the Basilica of the National Shrine, where the music echoed off the arched walls of mica, emerald, ivory and stained glass.

In the first portion of the concert, the symphony and choir performed traditional hymns, mostly in Latin. The chorus created a chilling but beautiful sound, as if they were angels singing of the sadness of the human condition.Soothng yet powerful, the full-bodied voices evoked emotion yet comforted the soul.

The only interruption from enchanting bliss was when Kathryn Hearden, soprano soloist, sang. Highly trained, she could reach the high notes but failed to touch the heart of this reviewer. Her voice lacked sincerity and emo- tion. Rather, it felt empty as she sang the words, “I’ve cried myself to sleep

with tears of agony.” The second half of the concert opened with a

Conductor and composer Henry Mollicone leads the Georgetown Chorale at SOME’s 40th anniversary concert at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Volunteers from SOME celebrate 40 years of service to DC.

The highlight of the concert was when the chorus resumed its singing with numbers from Les Misérables. It was then that the chorus transformed from distant angels into breathing humans, expressing the living hope of the future of heaven, and reminiscing of the bright pieces of the past, despite the hardships. The notes cast a dream over the audience, in an almost enduring desperation, for a better life.