Vocal Politics

The early music vocal group Rose Ensemble has never shied away from political controversy—but it is heading into uncharted waters with its upcoming concert: Peace Among the Nations: Abraham in Judaism, Christianity & Islam, an ambitious attempt to inspire a frank dialogue between the three faiths through music.

The concert takes the shape of a forum with an hour’s worth of music interwoven with a dialogue among an imam, a rabbi, and a minister—along with the audience. “There are plenty of texts concerning Abraham and his two wives and two sons,” says Rose Ensemble artistic director Jordan Sramek. “How does each tradition tell its story? What are the subtle differences and similarities?”

Sramek acknowledges that the program will inevitably be seen as political, but insists that there is no political agenda behind it. “We present some interesting music and let the audience, through the dialogue, steer the flow of ideas,” he says. Still, Sramek admits that programming the concert has been a challenge. “There’s a lot of music with texts of Jewish and Christian tradition. But singing music from the Koran is inappropriate and blasphemous. The Islamic story is more properly and equally represented by instrumental music than vocal.”

Sramek contends that nothing like this has ever been done before. “There have been conferences and seminars, but none focusing on music,” he claims. By presenting Abraham as a figure of hope, it is Sramek’s hope that the concerts will lead to greater cultural understanding. “This is just a baby step, but an important baby step. Tolerance comes from knowledge.” April 12–13. Macalester Plymouth United Church, 1658 Lincoln Ave., St. Paul, 651-225-4340, roseensemble.org