Jeff Witt

A journalist interviewing Paul Kelly some years ago queried him about his subjects for song writing. Kelly replied, asserting that love, sex and death were the only topics really worth writing about. That is what interests us humans the most.

This performance of songs from the pens of notable songwriters is largely concerned with those things that Kelly referred to, love, life and mortality. A requiem is traditionally defined as a mass for the repose of the souls of our dear departed. This performance is not a traditional requiem. This collection of songs from contemporary songwriters refers to mortality in a variety of ways that influence our lives. It includes works from Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Carole King, Don Henley, Eric Clapton, Leonard Cohen, Tim Finn, Paul Kelly, Enya, Pink Floyd and King Crimson.

As far as we know, humans may be the only species on our planet that is acutely aware of our mortality. That gives us a unique perspective on how we live our lives and the things that are most important to us. Indeed, the awareness of our mortality brings a quality to our lives that is in no way morbid, but vital, immediate and uplifting. It brings a focus to all we anticipate that drives a need to comprehend our place in the cosmos, on Earth and within our families.

Venture out of winter’s cold into the warmth of The Singing Gallery on July 8 with Jeff Witt and Michael Coghlan for a unique evening of music with lyrics that inspires our greatest hopes, our primary fears and shapes our thoughts on what we are in the cosmos