Issa HigiroPoem of the Innocent by
Minneapolis composer Jan Gilbert is a new work commissioned by the
Charles Sigmund Fund of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis for Chorus
and Chamber Orchestra. This work is dedicated to Issa Higiro and his
peace building efforts in Rwanda following the 1994 Genocide.
The
composer commissioned texts from a women's youth group in Kigali, Rwanda who
wrote about their experiences and memories of growing up during and after the
genocide. Other texts include the story of Immaculée Ilibagiza, whose
books Left to Tell and Led by Faith told of her personal journey
to find forgiveness when the genocide took away her family, and the poetry of
Derick Burleson, an American poet who lived in Rwanda and wrote about the
war.
African drummer Fode Bangoura from Duniya Drum and Dance will join
the orchestra in this performance, which premieres on May 4 at 10:30 am The
First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, 900 Mt. Curve Avenue.
