Requiem for 9/11 is the 20th Anniversary Ensemble Performance of a composition for Chorus, Orchestra and Soloists by Wilson Gault Somers.

Net proceeds benefit Delaware's Gold Star Families

Learn all about our outstanding music and wonderful community support at mass4thehomeless.org

20TH ANNIVERSARY ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE OF REQUIEM FOR 9/11 TO BE
PRESENTED ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 AT ST. HELENA’S
 

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE (July 30, 2021) –
 

Delaware composer Wilson Gault Somers will again honor the memory of the innocent who lost
their lives and the first responders and other survivors who still live with the trauma inflicted on
them on the infamous date of September 11, 2001. Maestro Somers and collaborator Joseph
Louden have created an exciting new ensemble version of this iconic work that will premiere on
Sunday, September 12, 2021, at 4 PM at St. Helena’s Roman Catholic Church, 602 Philadelphia
Pike in Bellefonte, Delaware. The performance is sponsored by Mass for the Homeless, Inc.-
Music with a Mission, a Delaware nonprofit organization that supports the composition and
performance of Mr. Somers.

Requiem for 9/11 premiered on the main stage of Wilmington Delaware’s historic Grand Opera
House in 2012. It is first and foremost a music composition of remembrance that ‘honors the
triumph of the human spirit’ on that fateful day. This new ensemble version, produced by Mr.
Louden and conducted by Maestro Somers, is a streamlined music work that still retains the
power of the original, and the message is needed now as much as it was then. “I believe that
today, twenty years later, we stand at the fulcrum of a challenge to our nation”, commented Mr.
Somers. “The lessons of 9/11/01 taught us that we could come together... We owe this to our
grandchildren, great grandchildren, and all future generations.” Accordingly, this year’s
performance will truly be a “concert of hope.”

The Requiem for 9/11 team is honored that the net proceeds from the premiere of this important
new work will benefit the Gold Star Families of Delaware, the spouses, children, parents, and siblings of a loved one who died in service to our nation. They are a vital part of our country’s
military community and history.

Tickets for the event are $20.00 for adults and $10 for students and can be purchased at
requiem911tickets.org.

About the Composer: Wilson Gault Somers is an Emmy-winning composer who spent 30 years
as the Director of Choral Music at the Tatnall School, Greenville, DE, and is the current Music
Director of the Church of the Advent, Kennett Square, PA. He is also acclaimed as a jazz pianist.  Maestro Somers completed his degree work in composition and organ at the College-
Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, and graduate studies in music education and theory/composition at the Westminster Choir School in Princeton, New Jersey. Somers’ large-
scale sacred works for chorus, soloists and orchestra are Mass for the Homeless, premiering in 1997 and Requiem for 9/11, which debuted in 2012. Both have received critical acclaim and
raised thousands of dollars to benefit homeless organizations and the Flight 93 Memorial in
Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Please call (302) 740-3220 to schedule an interview with
Maestro Somers.

About the Producer: Delaware’s Joseph A. Louden has a rich musical history of performing,
conducting, arranging, and producing a broad array of choral and instrumental performances. Joe
is the Director of Music for Wilmington, Delaware’s St. Helena Parish and the Choral and
Instrumental Music Director and Campus Minister at Ursuline Academy. He has produced and
directed numerous school and community concerts and shows, and he sang in the Papal Choir for
the mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Philadelphia in 2015. Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree
in English and Spanish from the University of Delaware and master’s degree in Educational
Leadership and Administration from Wilmington University.

About “Music with a Mission”: “Music with a Mission” is the operating brand of Mass for the
Homeless, Inc. (MFTH), a Delaware not-for-profit corporation under Section 501 (c) (3) of the
US Internal Revenue Code. MFTH exists to support the creative work of Wilson Gault Somers.
Significant portions of net retained proceeds from its events are contributed to support important
public causes at the local, regional, and national level.

ABOUT DELAWARE GOLD STAR FAMILIES -Gold Star families are the spouses, children, parents and siblings whose loved one died in service to our nation. They are a vital part of our country’s military community and history.
How did the term gold star originate? During World War I, families displayed small banners with
a blue star for every immediate family member serving in the armed forces. If their service
member died in service, the family replaced the blue star with a gold star. The gold star let the
community know that their service member died or was killed while serving their country.
Today, the nation recognizes gold star survivors in several ways to show its deep gratitude,
including:
 

• Designating the last Sunday of September as Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day
• Recognizing April 5 as Gold Star Spouses Day
• Authorizing the Gold Star Lapel Button
   

These buttons are a symbol of the nation’s appreciation of a service member’s sacrifice to
country and service, allowing us to honor and recognize the families of these brave men and
women.
 

In Delaware, additional recognitions of our heroes and their families include:
 

• The Delaware Gold Star Families Memorial at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Park
  adjacent to the Delaware Memorial Bridge plaza.
• The Gold Star Memorial Highway designation of Route 202 through Delaware
• The Gold Star Families license plate available from Delaware DMV.