25 Years Later: A message from MISH's Artistic Director, Stephen Sands
As we approach the 25th anniversary of September 11, I have been reflecting on what music can offer in the face of loss.
On September 11, 2001, I was teaching at Bernardsville Middle School. At the time, I had recently joined the Trinity Choir in Lower Manhattan. Just three days before the attacks, my wife Kristin and I sang at the World Financial Center with the Antioch Chamber Ensemble and walked beneath the Twin Towers.
The day itself remains vivid. We had students whose parents worked in the towers. As the news unfolded, fear and misinformation spread quickly. By the end of the school day, I chose to tell my eighth graders what we knew and what we did not know. I believed then, as I do now, that in moments of uncertainty, people need calm, honesty, and the assurance that they are not alone.
In the weeks afterward, I returned downtown to worship and sing with Trinity’s community, even as the buildings remained closed. I remember traveling by ferry to services at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton near the Battery, the smoke still lingering over the water, and the powerful experience of returning to Trinity when it reopened. I remember how much it mattered simply to be together again.
Twenty-five years later, I remain a tenor in the Trinity Choir and Director of Downtown Voices, and I will help conduct Trinity’s September 11 remembrance concert. The program brings together Fauré’s Requiem and Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, works that offer comfort and hope to those left behind and meditate on the enduring image of light.
Watch Trinity’s September 11 Remembrance Concert live
Friday, September 11, at 6:00 p.m.
Years after September 11, Downtown Voices performed Zachary Wadsworth’s Spire and Shadow, written for the 250th anniversary of St. Paul’s Chapel. In its 9/11 section, the libretto contains: “Say human again. Try to feel the word on your lips.” The words hold the anger and disbelief that human beings could commit terrible acts against one another. But they also remind me of what we do as singers. We form words with our lips. We breathe together. We listen and respond to one another. In making music, we practice being human. One note at a time, we can make our communities more attentive, compassionate, and connected.
That belief is central to Music in the Somerset Hills. MISH creates high-quality musical and educational experiences for people of all ages and experience levels, strengthening the cultural life of the Somerset Hills and surrounding communities.
The Somerset Hills Chorus is one expression of that mission. Its singers bring different backgrounds, experiences, and voices into the same room, then create something greater together. Shared Voices. Shared Purpose. Shared Humanity.
That same spirit will be at the heart of our upcoming Flower Power Gala. On Saturday, October 3, we will gather at Upton Pyne for an evening inspired by the music of the 1960s and 1970s, from Woodstock to Motown and beyond. It will be joyful, celebratory, and fun, but it also supports our most important work: MISH concerts, education initiatives, and community programs that bring music to people throughout our region.
As we remember those lost on September 11, may we continue to choose compassion, honesty, and community. May we continue to make music together.
With gratitude,
Stephen Sands,
Artistic Director
Music in the Somerset Hills
