DCA is excited to present The Patchwork Mass as the debut concert of our new Artistic Director, J. Matthew Lista.  The movements of The Patchwork Mass are those of a standard Mass but are compiled from various Mass settings by different composers. Considering our Nation’s historical or traditional motto, E Pluribus Unum – Of Many, One, the music reflects the ideology of strength, unity, and resolve when all are gathered for a united cause.  As we close out the semiquincentennial celebration of the United States, The Patchwork Mass highlights compositions and composers exemplary of the true fabric of America — a greater representation of the musical and cultural diaspora that is America. Through art and song there is more that unites us than divides us.

Two pieces of note bookend the concert. Canticum Novum by Melissa Dunphy sets the tone of the Mass with regal fanfare and excitement while the concluding piece of the concert, Canto’ e Libertad, features the Afro-Puerto Rican bomba yubá style, one of the oldest musical traditions of Puerto Rico. Composed by the dynamic duo of Diana Saez & Suzzette Ortiz, this song of celebration through resistance encourages hope and to free ourselves of hate and prejudice – reminding us we must learn to co-exist with all our differences.

The Mass itself hinges upon various musical traditions and styles representative of the American musical experience.  The Mass pulls from various lived experiences and stylings that capture the evolution of liturgical music throughout our history. Featuring sections from Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass and André Thomas’ Mass: A Celebration of Joy and Love, the Mass explores the fabric of American musical art. Some pieces are not specifically composed for the Mass Ordinary and are more representative of the ideologies behind the liturgical texts — such as Jacob Narverud’s Woven Together and Aaron Copland’s The Promise of Living. The Mass includes other works by famous American composers such as Zanaida Robles, David Conte, Carol Barnett and Amy Beach.

Our spring concert is inspired by Wendell Berry’s poem, The Peace of Wild Things. Evoking imagery of animals, nature scenes, and wild unpredictability, our music dances with the playful and pensive language from the inspirational text. Bookended by two settings of Wendell Berry’s text by Jake Runestad and Dan Forrest, the rest of the music is broken into three sets exploring the concepts of Animalia (animals), Affectus (emotion), and Anima (soul).  The sets include works by Eric Whitacre, Amy Beach, Frank Ticheli, Samuel Barber and more.