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New Jersey-based conductor Jason C. Tramm says the idea for this weekend's concert at Carnegie Hall came from the stream of depressing news flowing in from overseas. (Tracey James)
Small opera companies usually have big dreams.
Only two years old, New Jersey-based MidAtlantic Opera is mounting an ambitious concert this Saturday night at Manhattan's august music temple, Carnegie Hall.
Its modest goal: world peace.
The concert, titled "A Prayer for Peace," is the brainchild of conductor and MAO Artistic Director Jason C. Tramm. It's the third in a series of concerts that began in New Jersey earlier this year with the goal of "understanding humanity's universal connection through music."
The New Jersey-based conductor, who before starting MAO was Artistic Director of New Jersey State Opera, says the idea for this series came from the stream of depressing news flowing in from overseas.
"I think it was a culmination of all the unrest in Ukraine, Syria, and then the worsening of the Syria crisis -- and it just kind of struck me," Tramm says. "Then of course, it's only gotten worse sense then. I think more people will be interested in these concerts because of this."
Tramm has enlisted six soloists, along with the MidAtlantic Opera Chorus and Orchestra, plus the 100-voice strong Seton Hall University Choir to play music by Leonard Bernstein, Behzad Ranjbaran, Ahmed Adnan Saygun and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
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"Something that's very important to me is finding music with a social cause," Tramm says, "and with a deeper meaning."
The conductor, also an Assistant Professor at Seton Hall, did extensive research to find music that not only had a purpose, but that reflected different world perspectives that can often seem at odds with each other.
"I came up with this idea of finding pieces that represent the three Abrahamic religious traditions," he recalls, "and hopefully it will move people and maybe even foster some inter-religious dialogue."
The concert begins with the Iranian born composer Behzad Ranjbaran's "Elegy" for cello and strings. Following that is a rarely heard (here in the US) piece by Ahmed Adnan Saygun, one of the main proponents of western art music in Turkey during the 20th century.
"Saygun was the father of the conservatory system in Turkey. He was trained in Paris and then came back," Trann explains. "His music is fascinating, and his most famous piece, 'Yunus Emre,' really struck me."
"Yunus Emre" is a full-length oratorio inspired by the poetry of a thirteenth century Sufi mystic.
Following these two eastern rooted pieces are two western works by more familiar names. Leonard Bernstein's 1965 composition "Chichester Psalms," a 20-minute long choral work which uses texts from psalms set in Hebrew; and then after intermission, British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams' 1936 oratorio "Dona Nobis Pacem," an hour-long piece set to Christian liturgical texts and poems by Walt Whitman.
The crashing together of all these cultures and musical styles is the point, says Tramm. "New York City is such a perfect place for this. It's such a multi-cultural city -- there are so many places in the world where you couldn't do this program -- it wouldn't be allowed."
Although not presented by Carnegie Hall -- the event is produced by MAO and Seton Hall -- it still stands to be the highest-profile performance yet for the company. Tickets for the one-night only concert range from $10 up to $90 and one-third of the net proceeds will be donated to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for refugee relief.
"Music and diplomacy are interestingly tied together," says Tramm, "and the creative impulse that's necessary to make art and music is a similar -- if not the same -- creative impulse to communicate and try to get along. Music is a natural form of diplomacy. "
James C. Taylor can be reached at writejamesctaylor@gmail.com. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.