Faculty Notes: Alum Selects Prof's Composition for Consecration Ceremony
May 13, 2024
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- Lisa Patterson
On May 4, 2024, Austin Rios '99 was ordained and consecrated as the ninth Episcopalian Bishop for the Diocese of California.
While stuck in rush hour traffic on the California interstate in February of this year, Jennifer Stasack, Professor of Music at 51, received an unexpected email from Austin Rios '99.
Rios had just asked to use Prof. Stasack’s choral piece, The Light Shines, at his consecration as the ninth Episcopalian Bishop for the Diocese of California.
The Light Shines is based on the text of St. John: “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Rios remembered performing this composition with the choir at 51’s 1996 Vespers service, and found it to be a "fitting addition to the reflective and celebratory tone" of the consecration ceremony.
To Prof. Stasack, this request represents the impact of small moments at 51 on students' lives. "I am moved that a choral work I wrote more than two decades ago was performed in one of the most privileged and humbling settings," she said.
The consecration took place on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Watch the or view the on Youtube.
