At the end of this month, 200 voices will together sing songs of divinity as Baha'is and friends from across the country travel to Wilmette, Ill. for the 4th Annual Baha’i Choral Music Festival and Concerts.

Van Gilmer, choir director and originator of the festival, explained that the concerts at the end of the 4-day festival are held in the Baha'i House of Worship for the North American Continent – one of only seven Baha'i Temples in the world and one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois. 

The concerts give singers the opportunity to enjoy fellowship and sing sacred songs together in this unique, sacred space, Gilmer states, noting that many Baha'i communities are small and aren't always able to have choirs.

"Really, it is beautiful and wide-ranging sacred music and putting it in the House of Worship, it just becomes spectacular!” he said.

Anne Alleva, of Windsor, Conn., will participate in the festival this year for the third time and said singing in the House of Worship is an extraordinary experience.

"The sacredness of the place is palpable. It is a house of peace, of prayer, spirituality and beauty that is unique. The acoustics are amazing. But more compelling are the lovely people who come from all over North America for the purpose of learning and performing sacred music," she said, adding though, that Gilmer is what makes the concert so miraculous each year.

Participants are mailed the music and CDs with the selected songs on them and are asked to practice at home before arriving in Illinois. They learn and memorize the songs and then sing together when the choir members meet in Chicago. The choir doesn't follow written music during the concert; they keep their eyes on Gilmer.

Anne Alleva, of Windsor, Conn., 
shown above and at right, with other
singers from Conn. at last year's 
choral concert

Singers arrive on May 27, four days before the May 30th concerts, to rehearse at a nearby hotel. Gilmer said that the choir practices several hours each day, prepping for the big events. 

The concerts, which are all a capella, include sacred music of different faiths."The variety is pretty wide and I think the audience likes that," Gilmer said. "They don't just sit and listen to the same style of music all the way through."

Alleva, director of the Connecticut Baha'i Chorale, said that music is a way to complete prayer and helps "express the inexpressible." "It touches the heart in a way that words alone cannot," she said.

She noted that Baha'u'llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith, once said, "We have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high."

The free concerts, though sponsored by the Baha’is, are for all people to enjoy. "It has nothing to do with becoming a Baha'i, it does have to do with connecting with God and connecting with our spiritual side," Gilmer said.

As one of the audience members said in an interview last year, "I felt like it honored every religious tradition that's out there. So really for whoever would walk through the doors of this Temple and come in would feel inspired and welcome and uplifted." (Hear her comments and more in the audio slide show below.)

Gilmer spends a great deal of time and thought choosing the music for the concerts, which, he says, tells a story. "The 'story' this year is that we all are connected to God and worship Him no matter from what religion, culture, or nationality we are." he said. "We're doing 13 songs and in between there will be readings from the major religions of the world." The songs will include compositions from Mozart, to Handel, as well as some of Gilmer's own songs, and will vary in styles from classical to gospel. 

Concerts and special events during the Choral Festival: 
     May 29 – 4:00 a.m. to 4:45 a.m. Friday night/Saturday morning -  The festival choir will sing at the holy day commemoration of the Ascension of Baha’u’llah in the House of Worship Auditorium. 
     May 29 – 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - “Meet the Choir” event to provide an opportunity to listen to some songs and meet the choral festival singers and choir director in a smaller venue and on a more personal, informal basis. Held in Foundation Hall in the lower level of the House of Worship.
     May 30 - 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. - 200-member choir concert in the House of Worship Auditorium
     May 30 - 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. - 200-member choir concert in the House of Worship Auditorium

There is no charge for any of these events or concerts. All are welcome to attend. For more information call the Music Department at the House of Worship at (847) 853-2300. (There’s still time to join the choir if you like to sing!) See map with parking options for the day of the concert.

Listen to the following audio-visual presentation on last year's concert: 

The entire 2009 Baha'i Choral Festival Concert can be viewed on Youtube.