- Mar 21, 2026 - 8:00 pm
- 8:00 pm
- Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church
Whitacre’s The Sacred Veil
Robert Istad, conductor
Members of Pacific Chorale
Eric Whitacre, composer
Charles Anthony Silvestri, lyricist
Warren Hagerty, cello
PROGRAM
Eric Whitacre’s The Sacred Veil and Three Songs of Faith
Feel your spirit soar as Pacific Chorale’s chamber choir brings Eric Whitacre’s The Sacred Veil to life. This sweeping 12-movement masterpiece, born of a love story touched by loss, embraces the universal need for hope and healing. Coupled with another Whitacre piece, Three Songs of Faith, join us for a deeply touching evening of music that transcends boundaries.
Content note: This program deals candidly with serious illness, death, and grief, drawn from the true story behind The Sacred Veil. While the music ultimately moves toward peace and hope, some moments are emotionally intense.
Whenever there is birth or death,
The sacred veil between the worlds
Grows thin and opens slightly up,
Just long enough for Love to slip,
Silent, either in or out
Of this our fragile, fleeting world,
Whence or whither a new home waits.
And our beloved ones draw near,
In rapt anticipation, or
In weary gratitude, they stand;
Our loved ones stand so close, right here,
Just on the other side
Of Eternity.
— Charles Anthony Silvestri
The Sacred Veil is one of Eric Whitacre’s most personal works: a 12-movement journey he created with his close friend and longtime collaborator, poet Charles Anthony Silvestri. Together they tell the true story of Silvestri’s life with his wife Julie. From the first spark of young love and the joy of raising a family, through her diagnosis and battle with cancer, to the bittersweet process of saying goodbye.
Woven through the music are texts by all three of them: Tony’s poetry, Julie’s own journal entries and emails, and words by Whitacre himself. The result feels less like a distant “story” and more like being invited into a family’s most intimate moments. Tender, humorous, heartbreaking, and ultimately full of grace.
While it comes from one specific loss, The Sacred Veil speaks to something deeply universal: how love sustains us, how we hold one another through grief, and how music can help us name what we feel when words alone are not enough.
Scored for chamber choir, cello, and piano, The Sacred Veil unfolds like a musical memoir. You’ll hear moments of playful domestic life, the shock of diagnosis, the rawness of hospital visits, and finally a radiant farewell that feels more like a blessing than an ending. The close, resonant acoustic brings you nearer to the singers and the text, allowing every word, and every breath, to land with clarity.
Three Songs of Faith: Whitacre’s luminous settings of e. e. cummings text open the program with music that shimmers between quiet wonder and soaring joy. These pieces explore faith in a broad, personal sense—curiosity, gratitude, and awe at the world around us—offering a hopeful frame for the evening.
Whether you come for Whitacre’s trademark lush harmonies and long, glowing lines, the emotional journey, or simply to sit in a beautiful space and listen deeply, this program invites you to reflect on the people you love and the moments that have shaped your own story.
