On Saturday 17 June 2023 at The Stoller Hall in Manchester, St George’s Singers let their collective hair down and present Duke Ellington’s joyous Sacred Concert, a unique blend of jazz, big band, choral, gospel and blues music that will get everyone wanting to dance in the aisle! The Choir will be joined on stage by the fabulous Mary Carewe, whose dynamic voice has been heard in concert halls around the world, on film and TV soundtracks, and on numerous chart-topping CDs, and by The Cottontail Orchestra, featuring some of the UK’s leading jazz musicians.
Described by Ellington himself as ‘the most important thing I have ever done’ the Sacred Concert taps into Ellington’s roots in African–American culture as well as his own deep religious faith. From 1965 to 1973 (the year before he died) Ellington composed and presented a series of three ‘Sacred Concerts’ across the United States and Europe. His personal religious philosophy reflected the moral tenets of Christianity, rather than the dogma of particular denominations, and he had no interest in creating a ‘jazz mass’. By calling them simply ‘sacred concerts’ he was free to present any music with a sacred theme, designed to appeal to as wide an audience as possible: jazz and big band aficionados, choral music lovers or pop fans. Above all, Ellington’s message is entirely positive: one of love, hope and freedom, reflecting his own belief that ‘Every man prays in his own language, and there is no language God doesn’t understand.’
