i will be your refuge

Immerse yourself in a profound program exploring the crucifixion of Jesus in Dieterich Buxtehude’s masterpiece, Membra Jesu nostri patientis sanctissima (Limbs Most Holy of our Suffering Jesus) lamenting the trauma to the crucified body of Christ, his head, side, hands, knees and feet. Drawn from a medieval hymn, this sublime Baroque cantata was composed in 1680 and features string quintet. It inspired, and is paired with, Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands, an exploration of hands that hold and love and uplift, but also harm, asking “what are these wounds,” and offering a “Litany of the Displaced” embracing those displaced by armed conflict and violence, and Shaw’s response to “The New Colossus” from the Statue of Liberty pedestal declaring, “give me your tired, your poor,” as Shaw’s work promises “I will hold you, I will be your refuge.” The soaring Salvator Mundi by Herbert Howells rounds out this deeply moving moment in sacred song.