St. Luke’s United Methodist Church presents Unconditional Love

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (St. Luke’s UMC) welcomes back award-winning, world-renowned British composer Howard Goodall as he conducts the world premiere of his new choral work Unconditional Love on Sunday, Nov. 14. This special piece was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic and additionally focuses on the theme of Thanksgiving. St. Luke's Chancel Choir presents the world premiere as its first post-pandemic 'recovery' project.

In November 2020, Sid Davis, St. Luke’s Director of Music and Fine Arts, contacted long-time friend Goodall to see if he might consider a commission to address the new, strange and difficult world in which we all found ourselves. Unconditional Love is at its heart a work of gratitude, of memorial and of hope for a world rebuilt. It gives thanks to all those whose sacrifice and selflessness has been so powerful and so moving a feature of the COVID-19 crisis.

Unconditional Love is scored for soprano solo, SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), piano, organ and brass ensemble. Goodall had the soprano for this choral work already in mind when he composed it – Grace Roman, who is also Associate Director of Music and Fine Arts at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. She will sing all solo parts in Unconditional Love. 

This is the third world premiere for Goodall at St. Luke’s. Invictus: A Passion received its world premiere at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church on Mar. 25, 2018, while his Christmas Cantata debuted on Dec. 15, 2019. With the new work, the holidays of Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving will all have been honored by Goodall and St. Luke’s through inspiring and uplifting music. In addition, St. Luke’s gave the US premiere of Goodall’s Eternal Light.

Unconditional Love is made possible by the generosity of St. Luke’s Friends of Music.