I imagine many of you have seen the TV documentaries recently about September 11, 2001.\u00a0 I recently saw it on the Smithsonian Channel this past weekend.\u00a0 To those of us who lived through it, it seems like only yesterday; not 10 years ago.\u00a0 I think I now know what my parents\u2019 generation felt like when someone mentioned December 7, 1941.\u00a0President Roosevelt called it a day which will live in infamy.\u00a0This is exactly how 9\/11 seems to most of us today.\u00a0The visions we saw on TV are still so vivid that I cannot imagine ever forgetting.\u00a0I\u2019m sure that\u2019s what a generation felt about December 7.\u00a0 Sadly, the further we get removed from an event, the less the memories seem to be.<\/p>\n
It will soon be 10 years since we saw fellow Americans running from falling building debris, bodies covered with soot and faces filled with fear!\u00a0 Like I said, to me it seems like yesterday.\u00a0 This year\u2019s freshmen in high school were only 4 years old and may not have even been enrolled in school yet.\u00a0 I doubt if many of them have much of a memory of the event.<\/p>\n
Those of us involved in the arts, and in particular the Niswonger Performing Arts Center, are determined to do whatever we can to pay tribute to this horrific tragedy and not let it become a distant fleeting thought for a new generation.\u00a0 Those who forget history are destined to relive it.\u00a0 This is why we have put together two big events to commemorate the 10th<\/span> anniversary.<\/p>\n On Sunday, September 11, we have teamed with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic to produce and present the biggest tribute in the region: a 9\/11 Musical Memorial and Celebration.\u00a0 Maestro Andrew Constantine, a Brit at the time of 9\/11\/01, states, \u201cMusic has the power to heighten feelings and emotions like little else, and bring us together in the most tragic of times.\u00a0 We at The Fort Wayne Philharmonic are both proud and privileged to share in this special commemoration with the people of Van Wert.\u201d\u00a0 Well said, maestro!<\/p>\n It is the goal of us at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center to provide an opportunity for the people in our area and beyond to attend a concert that doesn\u2019t necessarily relive those tragic memories, but celebrates a country that ten years later still stands tall and shines brightly as one nation under God.\u00a0 Ten years later, two of the world\u2019s most horrific tyrants now must deal with their creator.\u00a0 They are no longer around to terrify others, and certainly not Americans!<\/p>\n There are many facets to this concert, including a men\u2019s chorus singing Randall Thompson\u2019s \u201cTestament of Freedom,\u201d with words by Thomas Jefferson that still ring so true today, \u201cThe God who gave us life, gave us liberty!\u201d\u00a0 The concert will have many local elements as well as national news clips from 9\/11 and even December 7, 1941.\u00a0 Outstanding vocal soloists will complement the orchestra in pieces meant to express sorrow and beauty.<\/p>\n Another aspect of this concert is the display in the Upper Lobby of the NPAC.\u00a0 You won\u2019t want to miss seeing this display, which is a tribute to those lives lost on 9\/11 and even includes an actual piece of one of the steel beams from the World Trade Center.\u00a0Awarded to the Van Wert City Fire Department, they have graciously loaned it to us so everyone can see and experience it.\u00a0 You can see the smoke burns on this piece of steel that once supported the World Trade Center building.<\/p>\n Two days later, a survivor of the World Trade Center, Michael Hingson, will be sharing his experience as his guide dog, Roselle helped lead him and others to safety as the building collapsed.\u00a0 I only recently heard that they were a mere 100 yards away from the building as it fell.\u00a0 What a story he must have to share!<\/p>\n