The Cumberland Choral Arts season is kicking off with a theme of “Connections.” Throughout the 2022-2023 season, the CCA will be making connections with their audiences, community and businesses.

To kick off the season, CCA will be performing “The Sacred Veil,” a 12-movement work and the most recent collaboration between Eric Whitacre and poet/lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri. It tells a story of life, love and loss. The piece was inspired by Silvestri's wife, Julie, who died of ovarian cancer at age 36.

Dr. Michael Martin, the Artistic Director for the CCA, chose the piece because of its ties to cancer and because October is Cancer Awareness Month.

“So Eric Whitacre set in motion the idea of writing music to some of her blog posts, to the poetry that her husband wrote to try and cope with her passing and kind of put it together,” Martin said. “The best way to describe it is like a modern requiem to a person who passed of cancer. And it just seemed like the most appropriate type of music to dig into for cancer awareness.”

The choral piece will be backed by cellist Paul Kirkpatrick who has worked with the CCA before.
Martin did say that this piece may not be fully appropriate for children, but do bring a pack of tissues.

“Be prepared. It's something relatively very new. It's not the kind of thing where you're going to be able to stand up and start dancing to this kind of thing. I mean, some choral music is great and it's uplifting and it's very rhythmic. And then there's some that pay tribute to people and can be quite moving. This is certainly that kind,” Martin said.

In honor of the music and its inspiration, Cumberland Choral Arts decided to partner with local health organizations to host CHOOSE HEALTH, a free community health and wellness event on the same day as the concert.

Kathy Thaman, the event coordinator of the CHOOSE HEALTH event, says that they hope to get a great turnout for the event.

“We really want more connection with our community. We want our choir there to look like our community. Come for the health fair, get all those services for free. Find out more about our organization and consider joining us,” Thaman said.

This event will offer activities and health information for all age groups. Partners include Cape Fear Valley Regional Medical Center, Better Health, the Care Clinic, Fit 4 Life, Guiding Wellness Institute, Earth Monkey Energies, and more.

There will be opportunities to donate blood through the Cape Fear Blood Mobile, attend free Qigong (a type of Tai Chi), Chair Yoga and Mat Yoga classes, make a ribbon in honor or memory of a cancer patient, win a free Reiki session, and get healthy snacks for the kids.

The health event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, located at 1601 Raeford Road on Saturday, Oct. 15.

“The Sacred Veil” will be performed that night at 7:30 p.m. at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children and students with ID.

Tickets can be purchased at cumberlandchoralarts.org, through their Facebook page, or at the venue beginning at 6:30 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m.