A Twin Cities choir will have a rare opportunity to perform at the Vatican in Rome next week, thanks to an unusual Minnesota-grown project to support Christian unity.
The Together in Hope Project has orchestrated three concerts in Rome and an entourage of ecumenical visitors, including 64 choir members and 120 goodwill ambassadors.
Twin Cities Catholic Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Ann Svennungsen of the Minneapolis synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America are accompanying the group.
The concerts are the culmination of three years of work by Celia Ellingson and Gary Aamodt, a Twin Cities husband-and-wife team that has long been concerned about divisions in the church. Music, they said, is a "universal language of beauty," and can bridge divides.
"This is about healing and reconciliation with Christian music," said Aamodt, a retired publisher of scholarly music. "In our fractured world, something like this is inspiring and uplifting."
The couple started from scratch. They commissioned an original composition from Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen. They brought together 60 voices for a Together in Hope Choir. They fund-raised to bring the entire group to Rome.
On Friday, after their final rehearsals, the singers packed their suitcases and flew to Rome, where they were joined by more than 100 project supporters.
"The highlight for me will be singing in these amazing spaces," said Steve Staruch, a tenor in the choir.