Lee Hoiby's Hymn to the New Age Heralds Ground Breaking for the Dallas Interfaith Peace Chapel

Lee Hoiby's Hymn to the New Age serves as the musical complement to the ground breaking of the Interfaith Peace Chapel in Dallas. Designed by the late dean of American architecture Philip Johnson, the Peace Chapel was designed to "provide a sacred place for people of all faiths, and for people who profess no faith, to come together in unity and love." Johnson meets this goal by keeping the building free of right angles and parallel lines, "disorient[ing] visitors away from conflict and division and reorient[ing] them toward cooperation and community."

For his part, Lee Hoiby comments:

I wrote Hymn to the New Age in 1975, as the psychedelic breakthroughs of the late sixties began to be codified in a New Age philosophy of optimism, inclusiveness and exploration. William Ball, the director of the production of Richard III, for which the Hymn was written, required from me a finale of over-the-top magnificence and power, and for amateur voices, to boot. A tall order. The piece, in versions for organ, brass and percussion, and full orchestral accompaniments, has been widely performed at houses of worship great and small, on occasions of particular inspirational import. I am always grateful to have been able to contribute to these occasions. But none of these occasions and venues has had the personal meaning, the amazed sense of over-the-top aspirations fulfilled, as this performance at the Cathedral of Hope. I wish we could be there, mon ami and I, maybe when the Chapel is completed we will come. My blessings to you sweet people.

The two performances of Hymn to the New Age will take place at the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas on November 11.

In October, Lee Hoiby's opera, The Italian Lesson, was featured alongside his opera Bon Appetit at Opera Providence. The Providence Journal highlighted The Italian Lesson's "lush, post-Romantic writing," noting that "these two confections are bound to hit the spot."

Later this month NPR's Performance Today series will broadcast a live performance of Cantus performing Lee Hoiby's Last Letter Home, recently published in its original version for men's chorus (TBB) by Schott. The broadcast takes place on November 23.

Lee Hoiby
Hymn to the New Age (1980)
SATB chorus; 2222-4321-timp.2perc-org(opt).hp-str
5'

The Italian Lesson (1982)
high or medium voice; 1111-1000-hp.pno-2vn.va.vc
35'

For more information about Lee Hoiby's life and works, please visit www.schott-music.com or www.leehoiby.com.

More information about the Interfaith Peace Chapel in Dallas can be found at www.cathedralofhope.com.