Schedule of events on November 8th:

12:15 PM ~ Doors opens and pre-concert entertainments in the lobby

1:00 PM ~ Concert presentation of …And the Lord Hath Taken Away by The Holy Gasp

2:15 PM ~ Curtain call

2:30 PM ~ Lecture by band leader Benjamin Hackman

3:10 PM ~ Q&A with Benjamin Hackman

…And the Lord Hath Taken Away is a 75-minute orchestral performance written for an ensemble of 45 musicians and vocalists. Through a modern, non-religious lens, this concert tells the story of the biblical Job figure, a character in search of personal meaning in the aftermath of a series of terrible losses. With genres ranging from musical theatre to gospel, and from jazz to pop, this funeral-themed performance addresses subjects of death, grief, and the quest for meaning – and it does so through a comedic lens intended to make its serious subject matter more digestible to broad reaching audiences of various ages.

Following the concert will be a lecture and Q&A presented by The Holy Gasp’s frontman, Benjamin Hackman. The lecture will include a literary and historic crash course on the biblical Job story, in which the phenomena and consequences of human suffering and uncertainty are explored at length. Through an existential and artistic lens, Benjamin will illuminate what the text came to teach him about cultivating acceptance to the unknown, reconciling himself to an existence in which bad things sometimes happen without discernible cause, and the creative means by which he responded to his suffering.

As heavy as some of Book of Job’s themes may be, concert and lecture attendees are encouraged to keep in mind that The Book of Job has a happy ending, and so does the concert and lecture.

Tangible enrichment objectives from the concert and lecture are to foster healthy curiosity about the musical and literary arts, provide practical career advice for students curious and interested in pursuing practices in music, performance, and creative writing, and to facilitate stimulating discussions about the creative process and the ways in which art-making can aid us in better understanding the difficulties and struggles of life.