The Suspended Harp: Sounds of Faith in Medieval Jerusalem

Developed for the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit Jerusalem 1000-1400: Every People under Heaven, this program features a mix of ancient sacred songs from the three Abrahamic religions that revere Jerusalem as a holy city. The concert weaves together music from the distinct and complementary traditions or Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, starting with an overlapping call of sacred sounds as might be heard in some hours at the Dung Gate, or Aleppo of a former decade, or in cities of North Africa, or Mumbai. The event introduces sonic memories representing echoes of practice that came into and out of focus in the richly intertextual, cross-pollinating “Middle Ages” of Jerusalem.

For this program, Schola Antiqua welcomes guest artists Nell Snaidas (soprano) and Amro Helmy (oud).

 “…marvelously warm, full sound that is remarkable for a group of its size...” -The Choral Union