While touring with Disney’s “The Lion King”, Russell Joel Brown performed on renowned stages around the globe including a stint on Broadway, but on Monday, he’ll realize a lifelong dream.
“For 61 years, I’ve been waiting to go to Carnegie Hall, and it’s finally happening,” said Brown, who will perform Sir Karl Jenkins’ “Stabat Mater” with about 42 members of Aiken’s St. John’s Methodist Church Chancel Choir at New York’s famed concert call. They will join other choirs from the U.S., Canada, Switzerland and Germany to form a mass choir of about 250 people for the performance.
St. John’s had performed the work two years ago on Palm Sunday, according to Matt Caine, St. John’s director of traditional music.
“Stabat Mater” is a work focusing on Jesus’s crucifixion through the eyes of his mother, Mary. It’s written in multiple languages including Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
To promote that performance, he also commissioned artist A.C. Daniel to draw a more realistic version of Mary as a woman of Middle Eastern descent in her 40s.
Distinguished Concerts International is producing the event. When preparing for it, officials began a search for groups that had recently performed the work. They ran across a video and contacted Caine for the full performance.
They’ve been working on the piece since last spring, but they haven’t tired of it. Caine said the members love singing it.
The trip to New York will be a quick one for the performers. They left Friday and had rehearsals Saturday and Sunday. They will return Tuesday.
While in New York, they will have the chance to meet with the 81-year-old Jenkins.
“It will be a wonderful experience,” said Caine. ”Choirs don’t often get to meet composers.”
Caine said they will perform the work in Aiken on Thursday, April 2, as part of their Holy Week program.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
This is a truly beautiful piece of music. I am so happy for the St. John’s choir to have this opportunity to perform it at such a renowned venue with the composer in attendance!!