An interfaith concert for peace will feature two of the Washington area's noted chamber choirs - Zemer Chai, Washington's Jewish community chorus, and the Concert Choir of Luther Place Memorial Church - performing music of their own tradition and each other's.

"Praise God All Ye Nations" will take place at Luther Place Memorial Church at 1226 Vermont Avenue NW, on Sunday, February 24 at 2:00 pm. Luther Place's religious and musical tradition dates back to 1873. In recent decades, the church has championed the needs of the homeless and disenfranchised in our community. Donations taken at the door ($10 suggested) will be donated to N Street Village, residences providing shelter and health care for homeless and low-income women and their families, supported by Luther Place.

While the two groups have talked about performing jointly before, September 11 added an urgency and stimulated development of a program that could reach out to the broad mix of Washington area residents. "The events of that day made it even more relevant that we work with other religions," said Nevin Bender, Minister of Music at Luther Place Church. "It is important that we don't get too focused on our own approach and our own way of thinking," said Bender.

Zemer Chai conductor, Eleanor Epstein also finds the opportunity to sing together of particular significance today. "What 'one God' means to me is that all life is connected. This concert celebrates both our distinctiveness and our shared humanity," she said

"All races, religions and nationalities were attacked on 9/11," said Epstein. "Those whose agenda is destruction are in the headlines every day. It is time for those who are committed to the vision of peaceful coexistence to speak up - and sing out," she stated.

Zemer Chai ("living song"), founded by Epstein in 1976, includes members from all walks of Jewish life. In addition to its many concerts in the Jewish community, Zemer Chai has appeared at the Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, as well as concert halls in Boston, New York and throughout Israel. Luther Place Concert Choir features member of the church who carry on the long and respected musical tradition of the church, spanning nearly 130 years. The choir performs regular outreach concerts for the community and provides high-quality music each Sunday morning for the 11:00 service. Singers in both choirs hail from all over the Washington region.

The music has been carefully chosen to "proclaim our common ground," Epstein noted. Bender called The American Kedusha, a piece to be performed by the combined choirs, a perfect example of two different traditions coming together. Written in 2000 by Alice Parker, a colleague of Robert Shaw who is known for her compositions that cross cultures, the piece has Hebrew and English counterparts, making it "completely clear to the listener what is going on," Bender said.

The combined choruses will also perform several selections from "A Peaceable Kingdom" by Randall Thompson, based on the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. Other music includes work by Salomone Rossi, a 17th Century Italian Jew who was exempted from wearing the yellow star because his music pleased the nobility; and Robert Starer, a Viennese Jew who escaped to Palestine on the last boat out of Austria after its annexation by Hitler, and became an American citizen in 1957.

For concert information and directions call Luther Place Memorial Church at 202-667-1377.