Join the Elgin Master Chorale for a performance of musical and cultural significance. Beethoven’s first mass was not initially appreciated for its ground-breaking approach…simpler and humbler than the grander Viennese model of the time. The composer chose his focus “not on God or princes,” but on a more personal contemplation of the divine from a condition of inner peace.

On this same program, the Chorale presents Credo by African American composer and pianist Margaret Bonds. Inspired by the text of W.E.B. Du Bois, it showcases the composer’s mastery of blending Western classical and spiritual traditions in an organic and original way.