On Sunday February 10 at the John Gano Memorial Chapel on the campus of William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, St. Vladimir's Seminary Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music Dr. Nicholas Reeves attended the premier performance of his multimedia musical reflection, “The Light of the World." The William Jewell College Concert Choir under the direction of Conductor Anthony Maglione presented the performance, which was considered the showcase event for William Jewell's annual Justice Summit hosted each year by the school's Center for Justice and Sustainability.
"The Light of the World" featured images, interviews, and historical footage juxtaposed with the choral performance of Dr. Reeves' composition based on the Sermon on the Mount. The pre–recorded video focused on the notorious 20th–century Romanian Communist prison, Pitesti. This artistic vehicle allowed for a creative "analysis of moral principles in light of the practice of torture," explained Dr. Andy Pratt, executive director of the Center for Justice and Sustainability.
Prior to the conference, Dr. Reeves offered a talk for concertgoers at 3 p.m. in Gano Chapel, and afterwards he attended a post–concert reception. "I was honored to have been a participant in the Center for Justice and Sustainability's event," noted Dr. Reeves. "What I found particularly rewarding was the audience’s reception to the work's unfamiliar subject matter (the Pitesti Re–education Prison). I was pleasantly surprised by how much these themes resonated with them."
Fusing classical, sacred and popular idioms in his original compositions, Composer Reeves has produced concerts both privately and in conjunction with St. Vladimir's on themes ranging from the oppression of Orthodox Christian composers during the years of Soviet Communism, to the St. Matthew Passion of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev). In addition to his responsibilities as an assistant professor at St. Vladimir's, Dr. Reeves was also appointed as the Project Manager for the Arvo Part Project at St. Vladimir's Seminary in 2012.
The videographer for "The Light of the World," Dmitry Trakovsky, grew up in suburban Los Angeles, holds a degree in the History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is the founder of a small production company, Trakovsky Film LLC.
Adapted from an article by Ms. Cara Dahlor, associate director of College Relations and New Media, William Jewell College.
