Stamford's St. John’s Episcopal Church To Host Free Benefit Concert

STAMFORD, CT — St. John’s Episcopal Church in Stamford will present its first "Music for a Mission" concert in collaboration with CONCORA, Connecticut’s oldest professional choir, on Saturday, Sept. 13.

The performance will feature Ed Tyler’s "An American Requiem" and raise awareness and support for Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit focused on preventing gun violence.

The concert begins at 7 p.m. at St. John’s, 628 Main St., and will include a pre-concert talk with Tyler at 6 p.m. Admission is free, though tickets are required, and donations will be collected to benefit Sandy Hook Promise.

"Choral music is a perfect medium for allowing audiences and performers to address challenging subjects such as gun violence, in a safe and supported way," said Chris Shepard, CONCORA’s artistic director and music director at St. John’s, in a news release. "Music has the power to move us all — it is therapeutic and can foster a sense of peace, hope, and connection to something greater than oneself."

Terrence Green, chairman of the board of directors for the St. John’s Community Foundation, said the foundation was "honored to pilot this benefit concert for social awareness and to support Sandy Hook Promise’s mission to prevent violence in our communities."

The centerpiece of the evening will be "An American Requiem," performed for the second time in Connecticut. The work, which premiered in May 2025 in Hartford, combines Tyler’s poetry and writings on mass shootings with the Latin Requiem Mass and newly composed texts.

"As a teacher, I found myself at a loss to explain these terrible events to my students, and these writings were a coping mechanism for me," Tyler said. "My hope is that we provide solace, support and inspiration for individuals and families who have been also impacted by gun violence in our communities, and to become an instrumental force in aligning people with the power of music."

The concert will bring together regional and international talent for an evening of music, reflection and community. Sandy Hook Promise will use donations to expand its programs in schools, including Know the Signs training and the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System.

Tickets and more information are available at www.concora.org.