PRESS ROOM

August 20, 2005

TO BE CERTAIN OF THE DAWN
Backgrounder
"This is the task: in the darkest night To Be Certain of the Dawn, certain of the power to turn a curse into a blessing, agony into song. To know the monster's rage and, in spite of it, proclaim to its face (even a monster will be transfigured into an angel); to go through hell and to continue to trust in the goodness of God - this is the challenge and the way."

- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
20th-century theologian, educator, philosopher and author

The Basilica Holocaust Memorial Oratorio, To Be Certain of the Dawn, honors two important anniversaries: the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps and the 40th anniversary of the publication of Nostra Aetate (Latin for "In Our Times"), the seminal Vatican II document that condemned blaming Jews for the death of Christ.

Created by Twin Cities composer Stephen Paulus and Twin Cities poet Michael Dennis Browne, To Be Certain of the Dawn premieres November 17, 2005, at the Basilica of Saint Mary in downtown Minneapolis. The Oratorio will be performed by the Minnesota Orchestra with Music Director Osmo Vänskä conducting, the Basilica Cathedral Choir, the Basilica Children's Choir, Cantor Barry Abelson and four soloists. Subsequent performances of To Be Certain of the Dawn take place at the Basilica on November 18 and 19.

How the Oratorio began
The impetus for creation of the Oratorio started with Father Michael O'Connell, Basilica of Saint Mary rector, and his desire to know more about Jesus' Jewishness. This interest was fueled by Father O'Connell's commitment to interfaith ministry and his relationships with various Twin Cities Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Joseph Edelheit, author, lecturer and former senior rabbi at Temple Israel in Minneapolis; Rabbi Max Shapiro, rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel; and Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman, current Temple Israel senior rabbi.

Over the years, members of the Basilica of Saint Mary and Temple Israel have deepened their interfaith commitment and mutual understanding. They have cosponsored a number of trips for their congregants to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and pilgrimages to Israel in 1996, and Eastern Europe and Rome in 2000. Locally, pulpit exchanges have occurred at both congregations, with each clergyperson speaking at services. Seventh- and eighth-grade students from each congregation meet each year to attend services and for conversation. And, last fall, Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman and Temple Israel honored Father O'Connell with the Temple Israel Interfaith Award for his work to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding.

From this special relationship between the Basilica and Temple Israel, Father O'Connell became drawn to the idea of making a significant statement for the 21st century - particularly to children and youth. This passion led to commissioning the Oratorio to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps. It is Father O'Connell's dream that - through music - the Oratorio will bring people together to remember the Holocaust, condemn intolerance, and commit to building understanding for people of all faiths and races.

"The Oratorio will compel us to behold the image of the Creator, reflected in creation and especially in the faces of the children," says Father O'Connell. "In contrast to the deliberate, systematic murder of more than 1 million Jewish children by the Nazis, the children's voices in this piece will invite us to see God's face in every human face - especially in the faces of children."

How the Oratorio was created
The Basilica awarded the commission to composer Stephen Paulus and librettist Michael Dennis Browne - two Twin Cities artists with national reputations. Browne is a poet and teacher; Paulus, a longtime Minnesota Orchestra collaborator with more than 300 works in his professional portfolio.

Paulus and Browne drew upon numerous manuscripts and commentaries to create the Oratorio, including ancient texts, testimonies of Holocaust survivors, and theological reflections. The text combines English, Hebrew and a small section of German to represent the confluence of cultures from the time.

To Be Certain of the Dawn is divided into three large sections, each comprising several parts. The titles of these sections are Renewal, Remembrance and Visions. "The middle section evokes a personal response as it uses actual pictures of people from the time period with hypothetical conversations prepared by Michael Dennis Browne," says composer Paulus. "The intended goal is to bring some humanity to the entire series of Holocaust events."

Says Browne: "In its inception, this piece is about God's presence within us - that ongoing companionship we have neglected - and those deeper and truer relationships between people of Jewish and Christian faiths and all faiths that we have neglected at our cost."

Key to the essence of the Oratorio is a photograph of a group of Jewish children who were asked to dress for a formal event, then were executed. That photo became Father O'Connell's mezuzah - or archetypal image - for all collaborators on To Be Certain of the Dawn.

How the Oratorio will benefit the community
Proceeds from the November 17 premiere performance of To Be Certain of the Dawn will create an endowment to fund the annual Downtown Interfaith Forums, held and coordinated by the downtown Minneapolis houses of worship. Proceeds will also fund other opportunities for children and adults of different faiths to unite through art, learning, travel and activities.

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