Chacon, Raven
Voiceless Mass
Voiceless Mass (2021), for pipe organ and large ensemble, was commissioned by WI Conference of the United Church of Christ, Plymouth Church UCC, and Present Music, and composed specifically for the Nichols & Simpson organ at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The commission offered Chacon a valuable opportunity to address critical issues concerning the legacy of the Catholic Church and the atrocities committed against Indigenous peoples-particularly the residential schools, forced assimilation, and abuse of Indigenous youth-and Chacon was eager to evoke this history directly within the walls of the sanctified institution. "This work," he writes, "considers the spaces in which we gather, the history of access of these spaces, and the land upon which these buildings sit." Though the title refers to a "Mass," the liturgical rite and choral genre common to many Christian denominations, there are no vocal parts and no audible singing. "In exploiting the architecture of the cathedral," Chacon explains, "Voiceless Mass considers the futility of giving voice to the voiceless, when ceding space is never an option for those in power