A Maine Cellist in Bermuda: We are a Global Movement of the Spirit
Can a Classical Concert Foster Encounter with the Divine, Break Down Barriers, and Plant New Seeds of God’s Kingdom?
Sarah pictured with Tiffany Fox, violin, and Jonathan McBeath, piano/organ
It was a warm summer day when I was contacted by a voice from the past: The Venerable Jerry Smith was my husband Steve’s professor and personal mentor in seminary at Trinity School for Ministry over 20 years ago and was now calling from the island country of Bermuda! He wanted to invite me to come to Bermuda to play a concert at the cathedral in the fall. I immediately said yes (who wouldn’t?) and started planning my repertoire.
As a classical musician, I am fully aware that classical music remains a niche medium in many places. It can be seen as esoteric, hard to “get into”, or just for the elite listener. For much of my professional life I have pushed hard against that, working with living composers, playing concerts in unusual venues, collaborating with dance companies or visual artists, all to try to bring what I believe can be a deeply moving experience to those who might otherwise not have the opportunity or think they “like” classical music.
Thus, I excitedly planned a program with a new audience in mind, choosing beautiful, lyrical pieces, some familiar, some not, with the theme being The Voice of the Cello. I chose this theme for a few reasons: first of all, I have been playing the cello since a ridiculously young age, thus it has been my own means of expression for my whole life. I find I can express feelings, meanings, the experiences of my life through the voice of this instrument. Equally important though is the idea that all music has something to say, and word-less classical music actually has the advantage that it can speak different things to different people. Art, specifically music, can get us to internal places we perhaps otherwise wouldn’t be able to go, so I chose music with evocative titles like Meditation (Massenet), Prayer (Bloch), Oblivion (Piazzolla), Songs and Poems for Solo Cello (Glass), and others, with this in mind. In essence: “here is a seed of an idea, a single word, now let the music take you where you maybe didn’t even know you needed to go.” I also deliberately chose pieces from the romantic and modern eras of classical music, for, as much as I love Baroque and classical, I felt this would connect better with my audience, so I played everything from a plaintive Jewish prayer melody to a spicy Tango. Seeing as we were in a sacred space I also included some jazzy arrangements of well loved hymns and utilized the historic organ as well.
So, after months of preparation, at the end of October I came to Bermuda, cello and husband in tow. I collaborated with local Bermudian musicians, rehearsing together for a few days and then offered the concert on a Saturday night. Over 200 people came, including some of the unhoused that often are found sitting in the cathedral and some tourists, but mostly Bermudians. Oh, there was also a cat wandering in who seemed to like the music of Philip Glass very much! Canon Jerry gave the welcome, telling a bit about our personal connection, but then emphasizing the ultimate goal: that people would find beauty in this sacred space, recognizing it is not just a “beautiful historic building”, and that they would truly encounter the Divine. I took time in between pieces to give some background to the pieces and also a few stories as a way not only for my audience to connect with the music, but also for me to connect with the audience.
I believe the concert was a smashing success and that people did find meaning in the music within that sacred space. The huge cathedral was amazingly quiet as I played the longest piece which was half an hour full of tone colors and musical pictures, emotions ranging from anger to sadness to joy, and people soaked up every note. Steve commented that “you could hear a pin drop– you had them ‘eating out of your hand’”. Afterwards a few people commented on the music, and thanked me for coming. One memorable comment was from the cathedral’s sexton, who is an amateur jazz pianist and music lover: “You brought something to this island that we needed plus this is a catalyst for something greater in my own life. You are continuing something personal for me that is already happening, something musical and spiritual. Two words: Thank You.”
Canon Jerry reported that meeting with vestry members over the next week he received a lot of comments regarding inviting more musicians to come play on Sunday mornings, broadening the musical horizons of the diocese, and allowing for more collaborations with those outside of the church. Jerry said this was an important step for the cathedral, as it has a history of racism and elitism and this was a way to build bridges by inviting the community in. Free concerts have a way of doing this!
I also played on Sunday morning to a large crowd, as many people who don’t otherwise attend regularly came because of the concert Saturday night. I joined the organist along with the music already planned and joined in the liturgy, as I do at my own church, in addition to a solo offering during communion. It was a great way to end the musical weekend. Overall it was such a wonderful trip for us as well as for the whole diocese of Bermuda, knowing that seeds were planted that will, with time, continue to grow. Because of this, I want to offer the same to my own diocese here in New England. I would love to work with other churches to offer something like this to not only their church community, but the community outside the church. Please reach out to me if so!
About Sarah Hoskins
Sarah Hoskins is a professional cellist and music educator currently based in Bangor, Maine. She and her priest husband Steve work and worship together at Imago Dei Anglican Church, a small but growing community of faithful followers of Jesus. She is mom to 5 amazing kids and when she's not practicing the cello or cajoling 193 reluctant Catholic school children into singing, she is exploring the woods with her dog, Baxter, baking up GF treats or reading