AAR/SBL special event:

I would like to put a very unique event on your radar. The below is from the pen of Holly Hearon:


The Rose Ensemble in Residence

The Bible in Ancient and Modern Media Section is proud to present the internationally acclaimed The Rose Ensemble as artists in residence at the 2012 SBL meeting. In the current global climate where peoples, faiths, and cultures regularly come into conflict, The Rose Ensemble offers us a unique opportunity to create common ground through the study and performance of a shared cultural phenomenon: oral tradition. Through workshops, papers, and performance, The Rose Ensemble will lead us in an exploration of the many ways faiths and cultures cross boundaries and influence one another through music, with particular given to the role of music in the preservation and transmission of religious oral traditions.

Founded in 1996, The Rose Ensemble, along with artistic director Jordan Sramek, has been the recipient of numerous awards. The Rose Ensemble is committed to reawakening the ancient with vocal music that strives to stir the emotions, challenge the mind, and lift the spirit. Their performances illuminate centuries of rarely heard repertoire, bringing to modern audiences research from the world's manuscript libraries and fresh perspectives on history, languages, politics, religion and world cultures and traditions. For more information see www.roseensemble.org.

Please join us for:

* A free concert, open to the public, focusing on musical traditions rooted in the three Abrahamic faiths. Chicago Theological Seminary, 1407 E. 60th St. Monday evening, 7:30-9:30.

* A panel, Oral Tradition and Music: Preservation, transmission, transformation and performance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with papers by Elsie Stern, Holly Hearon, and Hasan El-Shamy and responses by Jordan Sramek and Dan Fitzgerald. S19-110 Sun 9-11:30


Three workshops led by Jordan Sramek and members of The Rose Ensemble:

* Research Methods and Critical Issues in the Recovery of Oral Traditions. Respondents: Dan Fitzgerald; Joanna Dewey. S18-107 Sun 9-11:30

* How Performances Shapes Tradition. Respondents: Antoinette Wire; Dan Fitzgerald. S18-303 Sun 4-6:30 * Preservation to Performance: Discovery and Re-oralization in the Modern Age. Respondents: Dan Fitzgerald; Richard Swanson. S19-206 Mon 1-3:30


The workshops and panel will all take place at McCormick Place, W183c.

This project is supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additional sponsors include the NIDA Institute, Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, and Christian Theological Seminary (Indianapolis).