North UMC to Present Rutter's "Requiem"

On Good Friday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS, March 19 — Christians around the world observe Good Friday solemnly, recounting the sham trial, terrible suffering, and execution of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on the cross. He suffered and died for the salvation of humanity they celebrate two days later on Easter, marking Jesus’s resurrection from the dead.

In remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion and to help parishioners and the public meditate on his sacrifice, North United Methodist Church will present John Rutter’s “Requiem” on Good Friday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. as the centerpiece of its Good Friday observance.

The piece will be performed in its entirety by the church’s primary choir, the Cathedral Singers, in North’s beautiful Gothic sanctuary located at 3808 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. Areas of the sanctuary will be draped in black fabric for the Good Friday service.

The Cathedral Singers will be under the direction of the church’s interim music director, Kathleen Hacker. Diane Stebbe will be the soprano soloist. Dr. Heather Hinton will be at the organ, and a small ensemble of select instrumental musicians from the greater Indianapolis music community will provide accompaniment.

Senior Pastor Darren Cushman Wood will provide scripture readings and prayers between the requiem’s seven movements.

Rutter’s “Requiem” was first performed at Lover's Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas in October 1985. This deeply moving piece combines traditional elements of a mass with biblical sources.

Sir John Rutter is a contemporary English composer and conductor who founded the Cambridge Singers. His melodic style has made him one of the most popular composers for the church today. He is a choral tour de force, famed for his eclectic influences spanning both classical and popular traditions. He's perhaps most widely known for his carols and church music, and he hosts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's Christmas Celebration concerts at Royal Albert Hall each year.

Rutter wrote his “Requiem” after first seeing the manuscript of the "Fauré Requiem," which had recently come to light and had been made available for scholars to view, and in part as a response to the death of his father. "Death is one of the great universals,” Rutter said. “Sooner or later we all experience bereavement and loss. And when people listen to a requiem, they are weaving their own thoughts and memories and experiences into the music and the words that they hear. So it is very much a two-way piece, and one to which people will always have a personal response."

Rutter's "Requiem" combines parts of the Missa Pro Defunctis, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Psalms. It forms an arch with the "Sanctus" central to its form, as an affirmation of divine glory.

Those who can’t attend can watch the livestream on the North Church Indy YouTube channel.

Prior to Rutter's "Requiem," North UMC’s other Holy Week offerings include Palm Sunday services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on March 29; its Maundy Thursday service at 7:30 p.m. on April 2; and a community prayer service at noon on Good Friday. North will hold two joyful Easter services on April 5 at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., when the sanctuary will be transformed with spring flowers.

The public is encouraged to attend all of these free services, and freewill offerings will be accepted gratefully. There is free parking in the church parking lot.

For more information please see the church website at NorthChurchIndy.com.