 "Peter's Church" in Vienna- where this specific musical moment occurred. The Concert Choir was the “flagship” choral ensemble at Rowan University. Dr. Christopher Thomas graciously granted me entrance into this amazing group even though I am a classical guitarist and I do not have extensive formal training in voice. I enjoyed it immensely and have a lot of fond memories with this group. In 2016, we did a concert tour in Vienna and Germany with works by Mozart, Brahms, spirituals and several more. Our trip was just like I dreamed it! A fun ride to the NY airport, and a 3-isle gigantic plane (2 floors!), and sitting next to my singing peers. We arrived at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul around 5:30 am on June 28, of 2016. I ate a delicious kebab for breakfast, and hung out with the guys as we waited for our connecting flight to Vienna. Everything went perfect! We arrived in our hotels, we showered, and tried to wait until later at night so that we can fight the jet-lag and acclimate as soon as possible. The next day, we ate a delicious breakfast provided by the hotel and we were watching the news at the dining area… We were astonished to find out that just the day before, the Ataturk airport had just been attacked by 3 suicide terrorists who bombed and killed more than 40 people and wounded more than 200.
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 It was a hot day in May in Somers Point, NJ and I was preparing to play in a concerto competition. Scott Breiner, a fabulous organist and choir conductor, graciously agreed to accompany my performance at the piano. We were taking a break from rehearsal and we started talking about choir music. There I was, a high-school senior not even in college, thinking that I was a choir nerd and discussing how much I loved Mozart’s Requiem. Scott was gentle and his music wisdom knew how to inspire me without letting me know how gargantuan was the path ahead of me. Scott talked to me about the magnificent Durufle requiem. He talked about chant, church modes, and who knows whatever else which at the time probably completely escaped my head… The one thing I do remember, and will always remember, is that profound explanation of the ending movement “In Paradisum”. He mentioned, the whole requiem ends on a dominant 9th chord! “Can you believe it!?” he asked me while staring at me with an excited face. I barely knew what a G7 chord was at the time, let alone a dominant 9th? I remember not knowing what it meant, but I do remember feeling inspired and fascinated at the facility with which Scott described music and how passionate he was about it. His passion sparked a flame in me… I listened to the work when I got back to my house, with headphones on, and became almost addicted to the mysterious sound of the organ as it combined with the gentle voices of the choir. And it resonated in my head, the words of wisdom that so fabulously describe this ending: “Does paradise exist? Can humanity really comprehend what comes after life?”. “In Paradisum, deducant te Angeli” - May the angels lead you into paradise. Carlos Bedoya, 04/05/2023 Visit Scott Breiner's Cape Shore Chorale Website below
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AuthorCarlos Bedoya is a classical guitarist from Colombia, living in the US. Archives
June 2024
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