SALT LAKE CITY — On Feb. 23 the annual Musical Tribute from the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable will open its doors to everyone, and will, for the first time, include the Cathedral of the Madeleine Hispanic Choir. "We were thrilled to get them when we discussed this in our meetings and they said yes," said Dave Sharp, the Musical Tribute’s director. "When we are talking about this type of inclusiveness in our faith community and culture, we were just so excited to have a Hispanic group coming and performing at the Tribute. They are a large minority here." The excitement was reciprocated at the Cathedral by the 30 Hispanic Choir members and their director. "We are very excited about participating. The concert is an opportunity for us to share our life of prayer with different communities. It’s nice to have the opportunity to share outside of the cathedral," said Gregory Glenn, who directs the cathedral’s English and Hispanic choirs. The growth of the Hispanic Choir, both musically and talent wise, is what Glenn wants to share the most, he said. The Musical Tribute is one of the many events planned during the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable’s Interfaith Month. Other activities include lectures, tours and prayers. For information, visit http://www.interfaithroundtable.org/. "The event is a great spiritual vehicle when we come together and share these things about our cultures," said Sharp. During the Musical Tribute, different faith and cultural groups from all over the state of Utah will gather at the Tabernacle to share prayers, readings, poems and music. "Music speaks to our hearts and souls in an emotional way, and I think this was a way to gather people in the community and speak to them on a level that I think is both spiritual and emotional," said Sharp. As a Catholic, Janet Healy sees Interfaith Month as a great opportunity to witness different traditions and cultures within the faith. "It broadens our own spirituality," said Healy, who is the assistant chairperson for Interfaith Month was well as the community and volunteer director at Catholic Community Services. "I think you learn to respect other faiths instead of competing like sometimes we do," said Healy, adding that she thinks everyone has much to share and the Musical Tribute and other Interfaith Month events are "a great opportunity to learn to educate ourselves and learn to respect each other’s beliefs and become friends; it is just a better understanding of others." At the Musical Tribute, performances will range from devotionals from the Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Indigenous faith traditions to sacred music from the Sikh, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Catholic faiths, to Buddhist and Hindu dance, among others. All of the performers will join in singing "Let There Be Peace On Earth" as the culminating performance. "I am really encouraging anyone to witness an event like that. It is humbling to see how we all can come together like this," Healy said. Sharp said he believes that everyone has similar goals when talking about faith even within the different cultures and languages. "Attending a concert like this helps all of us see, in some way, that we worship toward the same great creator – many names but a lot of similarities. People are dedicated to the spirit of God," said Sharp. "This is a very promising thing for the future of the world that is inherent in us by loving one another, and the spirit of this concert is very much that way." WHAT: Interfaith Musical Tribute WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 23, 6-7:30 p.m.; doors open at 5 p.m. WHERE: The Salt Lake Tabernacle in Temple Square, 50 W North Temple Free tickets are available at www.lds.org
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