by Daniel Hathaway

Welsh composer Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace has been on Hae-Jong Lee’s mind for a decade. Lee, who is director of choral activities at the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, first came across the work at a convention of the American Choral Directors Association.

“As soon as Carl Jenkins finishes a project, he makes a CD with excerpts,” Lee said in a telephone conversation. “I found The Armed Man to be very interesting. I wanted to hear the whole thing. Jenkins’s background is as a jazz musician and the music is fascinating. It sounds complex and intricate but the score is so simple.”

The 13-movement work will be performed by the Dana Symphonic Choir, Stambaugh Chorus and YSU Wind Ensemble on Sunday, May 4 at 6:00 pm in Youngstown’s Stambaugh Auditorium. A film by Hefin Owen will accompany the performance. [Read more…]