The Isabel Centre for the Performing Arts, Queen’s University and PeaceQuest Kingston, a local peace-building organization, are co-hosting The World Remembers: An Evening for Peace, a unique concert collaboration on Friday, November 11th at 7:30 pm.
This sold out concert includes performances by the popular Cantabile Choirs of Kingston and the Lute Legends Ensemble celebrating Chinese, Middle Eastern and Western music inspired by peace.
The Mulberry Waldorf Children’s Choir will sing their songs of peace, and the Immigrant Services of Kingston and Area’s ISKA Youth will read from Wallace Edwards’ recently published book “What is Peace?“.
Lawrence Scanlan will host the evening, and Queen’s University’s Interfaith Chaplain Kate Johnson will honour the late Ursula Franklin and her encouragement of citizens to play an active role in peace.
Concert-goers will see the projection of R.H. Thomson’s The World Remembers, which commemorates fallen soldiers in World War I from both sides of the conflict. Audience members can also visit Kingston artist Heather Haynes’ Wall of Courage, featuring poignant portraits of 60 children living in an orphanage in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We want to give people a chance to hear beautiful music and inspiring words at the end of a day spent grieving the tragedy of war,” explains Michael Cooke, one of the many volunteers behind the event.
Each concert goer will receive a chocolate made by Peace by Chocolate, a chocolate company established with the help of 50 volunteers supporting a Syrian refugee family in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
“Assam Hadhad and his family made chocolates in Damascus, Syria, until the bombing of their city forced them to leave for a refugee camp in Lebanon. After three years there, they came to Canada and started making chocolates again. We are happy to offer concert goers this symbol of peace and hope that it will inspire them to make peace in their circle,” says Cooke.
Release source: PeaceQuest Kingston | Photo: Wikimedia Commons
