The upcoming Papal Visit set to take place this February 3-5 will witness a multinational 120-member choir comprised of singers from 9 churches in the UAE for the Papal Mass on February 5. And Joy Santos, a Filipina, has been named to conduct and lead the grand choir.
While the experience of leading a grand choir isn’t entirely new to Santos as she has led the Grand Choir for special occasions like priests’ ordination, Year of Mercy Mass, and other solemn events at St Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai, she considers the opportunity as a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“I never imagined I would lead a choir for a Papal Mass, more so here in the UAE, a home away from home. I consider it both an honour and a blessing. My parents and siblings back home are very proud of me. I feel I am on cloud nine and at the same time I am experiencing great spiritual growth,” said Joy Santos.
The Papal Choir will be accompanied by an organ and a ten-member brass ensemble.
The choir members were selected after an audition that was attended by 283 singers representing 120 choirs from the nine churches across the UAE. Singers selected were from various nationalities for the final choir including Filipinos, Indians, Lebanese, Syrians, Jordanians, Armenians, French, Italians, Nigerians, Americans, Indonesians, Dutch and Argentinians.
Fr. Jean-Laurent Marie, Head of the Papal Choir Committee, said: “True to the ‘melting pot’ image of the UAE, the Papal Choir will represent diverse nationalities residing in this country. Due to the extremely short lead-time, we faced major challenges in putting together this choir. One of the key selection criterion was commitment to all practices and rehearsals. As a result, only those who could spare time made it to the final list. However, we are happy with the final selection.”
Some of the choir members are highly accomplished singers in various choral groups, while a few have been selected for a BBC Production of a Beethoven symphony.
Fr. Michael O’Sullivan, Coordinator of UAE Papal Visit, also a trained classical singer enthusiastically commented: “The good news is that we are moving in the right direction and the very first practice came as real music to the ears. I’m proud of the way in which the choir is shaping up. I can already imagine how magnificent it will sound on the day of the actual Papal Mass which will be broadcast all over the world.”
The Ecumenical participation in the Papal Mass is mirrored as Paul Griffiths; a trained Cathedral Organist from the Anglican Church will be leading the musicians playing the Organ. He is better known in the UAE as the CEO of Dubai Airports.
“Paul Griffiths was a perfect choice as he has been highly placed in several national competitions and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, we are proud to have him as the organist for the Papal Mass,” added Fr. O’Sullivan
The theme of the UAE Papal Visit, ‘Make Me a Channel of Your Peace’ will resound throughout Zayed Sports City when the voices bring St. Francis of Assisi’s hymn to life.
French Lucia Bonnard who is from St Francis of Assisi Church, Jebel Ali, has been in Dubai, for just a year, said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be in a Papal Mass choir. I visited the Vatican three times, but this is a big surprise and that too happening right here in the UAE.”
Ghadi Abou Zeid from the Arabic Catholic community, who has lived in the UAE for 10 years, said he was feeling equally blessed and could have never have imagined that something like this would happen in the UAE.
Traditionally, choirs for the Papal Mass get a long lead-time and different countries put in several months of intense practice to deliver a performance matching the grandeur of the occasion. For example, during the Pope’s Ireland visit last August, a choir of 3,000 singers from across all 26 dioceses sang at the Papal Mass.
