Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Saturday, December 12, 2009
New York (TADIAS) – The Saint Yared Choir of Washington D.C. gave a breathtaking concert at The United Nations Tellman Chapel last week.
The event, hosted by Nation to Nation Networking (NNN), a non-profit organization based in New York, featured vocal ensembles of diverse backgrounds including: The Inspirational Voices of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, The Hai Tien Chorus, and The Children’s Theatre Company of New York.
The St. Yared Choir was established by the Debre Selam Kidist Mariam Church (St. Mary’s) in Washington D.C, to celebrate the life and work of St. Yared, a composer and a choreographer who lived in Aksum in the 6th century AD.
According to Ayele Bekerie, a Professor of Africana Studies at Cornell University, “Zema or the chant tradition of Ethiopia, particularly the chants of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, is attributed to St. Yared…he is credited for inventing the Zema of the Church; the chant that has been in use continuously for the last almost 1500 years.”
The voices and choreographed movements of the St. Yared D.C choir was led by Mr. Moges Seyoum, recipient of the 2008 National Heritage Fellowship for his “artistic excellence” and “cultural authenticity” – the highest honor in folk and traditional arts awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The concert’s theme: “Building bridges across cultures and fostering a broader understanding among peoples and communities of all nations.”
The afternoon musical testimony of diverse faith was moving and enchanting.
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Proceeds from the event is going to fund NNN’s annual International Youth Assembly and the completion of the organization’s Adolescent Resources Centers in Africa and the Caribbean.