Pemi Choral Society to perform ‘The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace’

MEREDITH — The 95-member Pemigewasset Choral Society and 16-piece chamber orchestra will perform “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” by Welsh Composer Karl Jenkins. Performances are scheduled for Meredith, Gilford, and Plymouth on May 1, 2, and 4 respectively. There is no charge for admission to the concerts.

“The Armed Man” is a 13-movement choral masterpiece that communicates the harrowing menace of the drift into war and the horror of conflict mixed with several peaceful moments of reflection. The performance concludes on a hopeful note with an uplifting a capella hymn affirming that “God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death.”

Jenkins composed “The Armed Man” in 1999 to commemorate the Kosovo crisis in eastern Europe. The mass features text and musical themes that evoke images of war and peace across many cultures, eras, and religions. Various texts are drawn from the common Latin mass as well as the words of Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and others.

Chorus and orchestra are conducted by William Gunn, director of music at Plymouth Regional High School and 2023 New Hampshire Choral Director of the Year.

Gunn described “The Armed Man" as “a journey through devastation of war and, ultimately, a plea for peace. Throughout the performance you will hear the sounds of battle, the cries of the wounded, and the sorrow of those left behind. There are also moments of transcendence, most notably in the Benedictus, a profound expression of hope and healing.”

Concerts will be held Thursday, May 1, 7:30 p.m, at Inter-Lakes Middle High School; Friday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. at Gilford Community Church; and Sunday, May 4, 3 p.m., at Silver Center for the Arts, Plymouth State University.

For more information, visit pemichoral.org.