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Christ Presbyterian Church Choir Reflects on D-Day Event in Paris

CANTON − Earlier this month, the Chancel Choir of Christ Presbyterian Church took part in a historic event: the Paris Choral Festival commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the liberation of France.

About 75 people made the nine-day trip, according to Heather Cooper, music director and organist at Christ Presbyterian since 2019. Her husband, Britt, is director of the Chancel Choir.

Heather Cooper said the journey took nearly two years.

“Britt and I were looking for a special, life-changing opportunity for this choir to experience together as a group, something that would be meaningful, powerful and memorable,” she said.

The Canton Choir was one of several American choirs to perform Maurice Duruflé’s “Requiem” at the Church of La Madeleine, built in the heart of Paris during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. Other ensembles came from Cincinnati, California, Utah, Michigan, Arizona and Alabama.

“The spiritual emphasis for us was singing Duruflé’s ‘Requiem,’ one of the monumental choral masterpieces, and a piece that has great meaning for this group,” Cooper said. “(Our) choir has sung this piece before. We performed the entire program here in the church on April 19 with a chamber orchestra as a prelude to the journey. It was a beautiful spiritual experience, combining with others to create a choir of 350 voices, with a full orchestra.”

60th Anniversary Event: Learn more about the June 6, 2024, commemoration at Normandy American Cemetery

Duruflé was French, but “Requiem” was composed in Latin because requiems are typically written for a Latin mass, Cooper explained. “So luckily we were singing in Latin, which is much more familiar than French.”

“I think what sets Duruflé apart is that it’s profoundly, I would say, achingly beautiful. It’s based on a Gregorian chant, and so there’s a lightness, a peacefulness to it,” she said. “It has an ethereal quality that’s comforting when you’re thinking about the life of someone you loved, which is the whole point of singing a requiem. It’s finding a piece of music that honors the person we’re thinking about when we’re singing it. It has this uplifting, big, comforting music. It kind of floats as you sing it. … It just lifts and soars and is just beautiful.”

The group’s itinerary included some of the city’s famous sights, including cruises on the River Seine and Mont Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On July 4, they visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where they joined other choirs to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.”

“We have members who made the trip who had family members, uncles, grandparents who were there on D-Day,” Cooper said. “For all of us, whether you had a personal connection or whether it was just that historical aspect of being there, looking at Omaha Beach, looking at the cliffs being climbed. It made it all real in a way that history books don’t quite convey. It was a very impactful experience for all of us.”

It was a moment she will never forget.

“Anyone who’s ever been to Arlington (National Cemetery) knows you feel that same sense of reverence,” she said. “It’s a beautiful monument and pavilion with cards on either side that are 30 feet high. So we, along with a couple of other visiting choirs, sing ‘The Star Spangled Banner,’ looking out over the graves of the thousands of servicemen there. And you’re singing a piece that you’ve done a number of times, but for your country in a place where so many people have sacrificed so much. There have been many tears shed.”

Reverend Ben George, co-pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church, said it was one of his favorite moments.

“The experience was incredibly powerful, especially when we were in Normandy on the Fourth of July,” he said. “The sacrifice of the soldiers 80 years ago was palpable as we heard the Star-Spangled Banner and looked out over the graves. But the moment that surprised me the most was when we arrived at Omaha Beach.

“As soon as my feet hit the sand, tears began to stream down my face. I thought about how easy it was for me to walk to that beach, while it was such a difficult journey for the soldiers who were fighting to get there. My wife, Kate, was especially moved because we had a young man with us who was just out of high school. He was the age those soldiers would have been.”

George said the trip deepened relationships among members.

“While the choir performance in Paris was the highlight of the trip, it was amazing to see how the entire group bonded through the experience of traveling together,” he said. “Through illness, frustrations of travel and the challenges of language, (they) became one group supporting each other, laughing together and experiencing God in another part of the world.

“Our guides noted how kind and caring our group was throughout our travels. It gives me joy to know that our church has demonstrated God’s love and grace in word and deed.”

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or [email protected]. On X (formerly Twitter): @cgoshayREP.