Each piece on this program is a poetic and emotional interpretation of a different part of the Mass Ordinary. It’s a celebration of the sacredness of queer love and the cosmic intergenerational connection of the trans community, and also a reaction to the ever-shifting tides and pendulum swings of allyship and acceptance, and how we hold each other through those changes.

Kyrie | reluctantly tethered, ii. try again - Jacqui Armbruster

The Kyrie is Jacqui Armbruster’s reluctantly tethered. In the Mass, the Kyrie is a plea for mercy for ourselves and each other, and it’s framed in this piece through the idea of frustration and miscommunication. It’s about the moment when we hit a wall and we’re so close to giving up, but still hopeful enough to turn out the light and try again tomorrow.

Gloria | Cello Suite No. 1, I. Canto primo - Benjamin Britten

The Gloria is the most radiant and celebratory moment of the Mass, an outpouring of love in all its forms. As I was thinking about what a queer sacred text could be, I kept returning to prayers that read like love poems and love poems that read like prayers. I’ve been especially inspired by the love letters between Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears and the devotion and tenderness that’s preserved in their words. The opening movement from Britten’s first Cello Suite captures that sacredness of loving and being loved. 

Credo | Hopedrunk Everasking - Caroline Polachek, arr. Holzen

The Credo in the Mass is an “I believe” statement, and for me it's the emotional thesis of the program. Hopedrunk Everasking examines which emotional lessons are passed down through generations, and which ones have to be relearned every time. That process connects us across time and space to everyone who has hurt, grown, grieved, and loved before us. 

Sanctus | diepenveen - Yaz Lancaster

The Sanctus is where we name what is holy. For me, that holiness lives in transness itself, in our courage to see ourselves clearly and love ourselves fiercely. Yaz Lancaster’s diepenveen explores the way trans identity is both deeply personal and monumental in scale. Searching for ourselves can feel like a quest for something incredibly specific and individual, but it’s about discovering and rediscovering something that has always been there. It opens the door to a new kind of connection grounded in a shared community and history.

Agnus Dei | Tidal Lock - J Holzen

The Agnus Dei is traditionally about sacrifice, and tonight it’s about the willingness to let go of whatever stands between us and the people we love. Tidal Lock is a piece I wrote about the bad habits we cling to that distance us from others. It’s the moment we realize what we have to gain when we make a different choice today than we did yesterday.

Ite, missa est | Cello Suite No. 1, IV. Moto perpetuo e canto quatro - B. Britten

Ite, missa est sends us back out into the world with an invitation to embrace darkness and light in equal measure, to know and trust that everything comes in cycles. Every year we’re surprised and caught off guard when the weather shifts to frigid winter and think to ourselves, “How will we ever get through this?” But then we wrap ourselves in blankets and build fires and share warm meals with the people we love. We’re overflowing, and we’ll never be alone.