Tuesday
May072013
St. James' Anglican Church, Dundas to host musical & multimedia Benefit for Canadian Friends of H.A.S.-Haiti
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 10:30AM 
On Friday May 10th, 2013 at 8:00pm MUSICA ST JAMES, the community concert series of St.
James' Anglican Church, Dundas, will offer the acclaimed multimedia production "The Words
of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of J.S. Bach" in benefit of the work of the Canadian
Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer - Haiti. The production, a unique fusion of projected images,
spoken word and beautiful music celebrates musician, theologian, physician and humanist Albert
Schweitzer and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach that so inspired him. Performing in this
production will be Christopher Dawes (Director of Music at St. James'), Michael Bloss (Organist
of Christ's Church Cathedral, Hamilton) the Choir of St. James' Dundas and readers Sara Laux
Chappel and David McKay.
In 1905 Albert Schweitzer, a world-renowned musician, Bach scholar and theologian, left these
careers behind to study medicine and in 1913 he founded his hospital at Lambaréné in French
Equatorial Africa, dedicated to helping some of the world's poorest people. Albert Schweitzer's
example eventually attracted and inspired Larry and Gwen Mellon of Pittsburgh to also pursue
medical studies and in 1956 they founded Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti's Artibonite valley
with similar objectives. Canadian Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer – Haiti is active in
promoting awareness of this hospital and its program of Maternal and Child Health Care. At
this multi-media event on May 10th members of Canadian Friends will share information on the
Hospital's work and vision, and some personal experiences from volunteering there. CFHAS will
also host a reception following the production, and provide a Haitian marketplace for concertgoers
to enjoy.
Christopher Dawes played the organ for the production in 2000 of this program at an International
Symposium on Bach and Schweitzer held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He
describes the production as uniting three strands of beauty :
"Schweitzer was a deeply passionate and poetic voice for the brother/sisterhood of
all living things - the beauty of his life story, giving up privilege and comfort to become
a physician and found a hospital, links perfectly to the beauty he saw in the music of
Johann Sebastian Bach, and the beauty he eventually found in the phrase Reverence for
Life that became his personal creed and may ultimately have changed the Modern Age."
Larry & Gwen Mellon, influenced and deeply impressed by Dr. Schweitzer, likewise gave up their
well-cushioned lifestyle to serve the people of the Artibonite valley in Haiti.
All tickets for this unique and memorable evening are $25, and will support the work of the
Canadian Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer - Haiti. For further information and tickets contact
Canadian Friends at www.cfhas.ca and follow the links to “contact us”. Alternatively, tickets may
be purchased at St. James' Anglican Church, Dundas, (905) 627-1424, www.stjamesdundas.ca


