Singing in Sacred Silence | Saint Vincent Cathedral, Carcassonne, France. Ave Maria and Pie Jesu.
Channel: Strive4impact
Date: 2023-10-29

I felt so blessed to get to have, and now I feel so blessed to get to share (thank you for recoding this Carrie), this extraordinary moment in the heart of Carcassonne, France. You'll see me singing. I had the incredible privilege of singing in the magnificent Saint Vincent Cathedral, where Carrie and I were the only people present (other than the French man collecting money for people to go up in the tower. I think he was also there keeping tabs on the cathedral - I asked and he said it was fine if I sang with the church being empty).

The awe-inspiring Saint Vincent Cathedral in Carcassonne dates back to the 13th century. It is a true masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Its towering spires and intricate stonework have witnessed centuries of history, and its walls resonate with echoes of engineering, faith, and devotion.

My backstory on these songs is that when I was in high school, we sang Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem at St. John's Cathedral in Denver. "Pie Jesu" has always stuck with me since hearing it sung for the first time. It probably stuck even more because when it was sung then (was that 1996 maybe?), it was sung by Lisa Finnerty (I had a crush on her because who wouldn't have a crush on her - seriously :-) )

Pie Jesu has been in my head - off and on - for the past 20+ years.

But it has been out of my world to do very much singing. (My excuse is to just be busy with work and life - and it's hard as an adult to give very much time to things that don't earn income - unfortunately... anyway, I'm digressing).  

I had the thought to try singing this when we were at Saint Pierre a few days earlier- a beautiful church in Bordeaux. (Here's that experience: https://youtu.be/snh6TDkfLbA)

It was very neat at St. Pierre Bordeaux, and reminded me of how incredible choral music can be in these amazing spaces, and how much a part of my life it was just to sing for the joy of singing.

This moment though, at Saint Vincent in Carcassonne, lined up perfectly. Just a couple of days after Saint Pierre, this moment will stick with me for life.  It's amazing how music can connect us to our past to create unforgettable moments in the present.

This is not my strongest vocal performance (at least I think I can do a lot better when I listen back to it - I'm very much out of practice and training). I had just climbed up and down 300 stairs in the tower, and -as mentioned - it had been 20+ years since singing this... but doing a *performance* wasn't really the point. This was a deeply impactful experience for me, and I'm glad to have it on video to remember the moment.

I started with "Ave Maria," a timeless piece that has touched the souls of countless people in it's history. I grew up hearing it a lot.  I must have heard my dad sing it at least 10 times while growing up, with my mom playing the piano. 

While I was singing, I later learned that one of the visitors who came in to the church was moved to tears by the music. It is such a reminder of the profound power of music to touch the heart.

I felt blessed to sing in this breathtaking cathedral, which gave this moment of sound that simultaneously felt like embracing the solitude and serenity of this sacred space, while amplifying my own tiny nature into something much bigger than me. Carcassone's Saint Vincent is an acoustic marvel. The acoustics and ambiance felt like a transport to a world where music transcends time, transcends money, transcends the day to day, and connects me to the part of me that is me, truly me, reminding me always to focus on something greater.

Please feel free to share this video if you want. Beyond the Cathedral's acoustics, this moment, and the interaction with the French woman who expressed both tears during the singing, and appreciation afterward, will stick with me for years to come.