Coronavirus forces cancellation of memorial oratorio at Harvard theater

Coro Allegro, which had scheduled a performance tomorrow of Robert Stern's oratorio, Shofar at the Sanders Theater at Harvard, has had to cancel the event because Harvard is no longer allowing large public gatherings on its campus due to Covid-19 concerns.

The performance of the work, which was first performed at the theater in 2009, was meant to honor Stern - who died in 2018 - and local baritones Sanford Sylvan and Donald Wilkinson.

In a message to his musicians, Coro Allegro Artistic Director David Hodgkins wrote:

Together we have been exploring repertoire that delves into the painful process of what occurs when covenants are broken through Robert Stern's beautiful oratorio Shofar. As it turns out, we are experiencing the metaphor of the piece's journey in a more immediately real and painful way...But if Shofar has taught us anything, it is that the brokenness can and will become whole again. In the words of Catherine Madsen’s libretto, "we make the world together - there is no other labor.

Somehow we will “begin again,” as Shofar calls us to, and make this concert whole once more. We ask for your understanding and patience as we try to gather the pieces together once again and bring this magnificent music to our audience.