December
27, 2017
Light
of Unity Concert Marks Bicentenary Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
 Fiona Armstrong had a strong
desire to befittingly commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of
Baha'u'llah. To fulfill this wish, she conceived a plan for a musical
gala which would celebrate and pay tribute to Bahá’u’lláh. This wish
and plan became the Light of Unity Concert which drew many attendees on
Saturday evening September 23, 2017. The concert was held in the
Freiman performance hall in the University of Ottawa Music building, a
building Fiona was well familiar with, as a recent graduate from the
University's music program.
A diverse audience enjoyed an evening, which was stunning in its
musical diversity and quality, a worthy gift for Bahá’u’lláh.
The program opened with hostess Vivi Sorensen performing an East
Greenlandic drum dance. Melody Rowhani then sang Bahá’í prayers
accompanied by the ukelele, a rendition which created a reflective and
spiritual atmosphere for subsequent performances. Fiona played cello as
part of three very different duos: a lovely classical cello duo by
Handel with Natalie Salguero; a beautiful tune composed for the
occasion by Fiona and May-Jun Li, who played piano and sang; and two
modern pop-based pieces with Tyler Carlson on guitar.
The audience was treated to
performance by a number of other highly accomplished musicians. This
included Leslie Opatril who performed a soaring flute solo. Valeria
Dimitrova presented moving piano solos by Barber and Beethoven. Kevin
Burke’s rich baritone was accompanied by pianist Ylan Chu in a series
of chansons romantiques. A week later, Kevin sang with the Ottawa
Symphony Orchestra at the Shenkman Centre. To close the show, Risa
Tonita talked about Robert Schumann and read his love letter to Clara
(later his wife). She then performed two of Schumann’s piano
compositions.
During intermission and after the program, the audience mingled,
enjoyed elevated conversations and refreshments as well as viewed the
three large posters displaying aspects of Bahá’u’lláh’s life and
principles of the Bahá’í Faith.
Attendees were grateful to the concert organizers which included Fiona
and a group of friends who worked very hard on diverse aspects of the
program and logistics, pulling the event together in a short
timeframe.
The Bahá’í teachings state that God “made music as a ladder for your
souls.” In this regard, music plays a special role in our lives - just
like prayer and meditation, music can help connect our hearts and souls
with the divine. On this evening, many of those in attendance commented
on the spiritual experience they felt at the concert. This event was
one of the first of over 80 events held across the City of Ottawa in
September, October and November to mark the 200th Anniversary of the
Birth of Baha'u'llah.
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