Special Programs
March 29 • 7 pm
Pilgrims on the Road Together: Reconciliation in an Ecumenical Age
in Roger Bacon Hall, #202 (Key Auditorium), Siena College. The diocesan Ecumenical Commission is the sponsor of a presentation by Siena Professor Fr. Dennis Tamburello on the journey of reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics in the context of the forthcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
April 3 • 7 pm
Sidney and Beatrice Albert Interfaith Lectureship: Vatican II: Nostra Aetate Then and Now
at Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary, College of St. Rose. A roundtable conversation with Dr. Judith Banki, Senior Advisor of Interreligious Affairs for the Tannenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding and Rev. James Kane, Ecumenical Officer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Moderated by Rev. Christopher DeGiovine, pastor of St. Matthews Parish, Voorheesville.
April 4 • 6 pm
Henry Johnson: A Tale of Courage - Preview Screening and Panel Discussion
in the Huxley Theatre, New York State Museum. A preview screening of the new documentary from WMHT celebrating the life and legend of African-American WWI hero, Sgt. Henry Johnson, who was posthumously recognized in 2015 with the Medal of Honor. The film’s producer, Zeke Kubisch, will be joined by Barbara Smith, the City of Albany’s Special Community Projects Coordinator, and the New York State Museum’s Aaron Noble for a panel discussion following the screening.
April 10, 11 and 12 • 9 pm
American Experience: The Great War
airing on WMHT-TV. In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into the war on April 6, 1917, American Experience presents The Great War, a six-hour documentary broadcast over three nights, exploring how World War I forever changed America and the world.
April 11 • 7:30 pm
Henry Johnson: A Tale of Courage
airing on WMHT-TV. This documentary from WMHT tells the story of African-American WWI hero, Henry Johnson: his life, his family, and the extensive efforts over many years to honor his bravery and courage after his death. Johnson was finally honored with the Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002 and the Medal of Honor in 2015.
April 13 • 5 pm
A Presentation on The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
in Room B-78, Performing Arts Center, University at Albany, uptown campus. In anticipation of the performance on May 6th of the stirring composition, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, Albany Pro Musica’s Artistic Director and University at Albany Conductor-in- Residence, Maestro José Daniel Flores-Caraballo, joined by singers of Albany Pro Musica, will discuss and demonstrate what makes this such a uniquely appealing masterwork. Since its premiere in 2000, Sir Karl Jenkins’ compelling composition has been performed over 1,500 times. Written for chorus, orchestra, soloist and muezzin, this poignant work was dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo conflict which was unfolding as it was being composed; its dramatic cry for peace remains relevant to our nation and the world.
April 19 • 1 pm
Reconciliation as a Key to Societal Healing
at WAMC’s Linda Norris Auditorium (The Linda), 339 Central Ave, Albany. Congressman Paul Tonko; Times Union Editor Rex Smith; and Rabbi Linda Motzkin and Dr. Mussarat Chaudhry, co-members of the new Capital District Chapter of the Sisterhood of Salaam/Sholam, a grassroots organization bringing together Muslim and Jewish women, will explore ways to heal the deep polarization that characterizes so much of today’s society. The program was developed by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government of SUNY and will be led by Robert Bullock, Deputy Director for External Relations for the Institute.
April 20
Seminar • 4:15 pm
Campus Center Room 375, University at Albany, uptown campus
Reading • 8 pm
Clark Auditorium, New York State Museum, Cultural Education Center, Albany
Presentations by Eric Fair - Army Veteran, Iraq War Interrogator and Non-Fiction Writer
Presented by the New York State Writers Institute of SUNY, Eric Fair is the author of Consequence (2016), an account of his experiences working in Iraq as an interrogator for a private contractor at Abu Ghraib prison in 2004. Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times called the book “Important, candid and chilling … At once an agonized confession … and an indictment of the system … a profoundly unsettling book.”
April 23 • 3 pm
A People’s Performance for Peace
at the Madison Theatre, 1036 Madison Ave., Albany. The Tendai Buddhist Institute (Shakuhachi Flute by Tomie Hahn), the Albany Hindu Temple (Classical Dance by Ragahastha Performing Arts) and the Macedonia Baptist Church (The Praise Ensemble - a Gospel Choir) will present a multicultural, interfaith program that bridges the gap between people of different backgrounds and perspectives in pursuit of a shared peace. The spirit, beauty and grace of dance, shakuhachi flute and a gospel choir will be at the heart of this program exploring peace. A $5 donation is suggested.
April 23 • 5:30 pm
A House Open: Al-Hidaya Center, Reconciliation through Knowledge
Islamic Community Center of Troy and Latham, 322 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham. An interfaith gathering led by Imam Djafer Sebkhaoui, sharing thoughts and ideas on the importance of mutual understanding during turbulent times. Tours of the mosque will be available following the program.
April 23 • 7:30 pm
The Annual Community Holocaust Remembrance Service
at Congregation Beth Emeth, 100 Academy Road, Albany. This annual community-wide service, this year hosted by Congregation Beth Emeth, commemorates those who perished, even as it allows us to reflect on the important lessons learned as well as the reconciliation that is implicit in all such services of remembrance.
April 26 • 11 am
The Media Project Live: Real News in Challenging Times
at WAMC’s Linda Norris Auditorium (The Linda), 339 Central Ave, Albany. In an era when journalists are derided as “enemies of the people” by the president of the United States, and when Americans’ confidence in the credibility of news stories tends to reflect their political allegiance, what is the proper role of mainstream media as a check on government power? Can the media play a role in reducing divisions in society and making political decisions more thoughtful? Join WAMC CEO Alan Chartock, Times Union Editor Rex Smith, and Director of the Journalism Program at the University at Albany, Rosemary Armao, for a live, hour-long edition of The Media Project, the long-running nationally-syndicated program from Northeast Radio.
April 26 • 6 pm
Facing the Truth: Lessons from Post-Apartheid South Africa
in the Key Cultural Center at the Albany Institute of History and Art. A presentation by the Rev. Dr. Johan G. Bosman, Pastor of Christ Community Reformed Church, will examine the history and significance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, a process that dealt with South Africa’s troubled past to seek a peaceful, inclusive and hopeful future for all. A panel discussion following the talk, moderated by Bishop Emeritus Howard Hubbard and including Dr. Bosman, Barbara Smith, the City of Albany’s Special Community Project Coordinator and Dr. Stephen Stohler, Assistant Professor, University at Albany Department of Political Science, will examine how the lessons, language and theories of reconciliation can be valuable tools to help established democracies (e.g., Canada, Australia, USA, etc.) deal with their own historical legacies of injustice.
May 3 • 7:30 pm
AHA!
airing on WMHT-TV. WMHT’s weekly cultural program, AHA!, will feature a special segment on Albany Pro Musica’s May 6th performance of the dramatic work, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, as well as the many Capital Region-wide events around the theme of reconciliation and peace that are being presented in the weeks leading up to this major concert.
May 4 • 6 pm
A Presentation on The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Albany Institute of History and Art. In anticipation of the performance on May 6th of the stirring composition, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, Albany Pro Musica’s Artistic Director and University at Albany Conductor in Residence Maestro José Daniel Flores-Caraballo, joined by singers of Albany Pro Musica, will discuss and demonstrate what makes this such a uniquely appealing masterwork. Since its premiere in 2000, Sir Karl Jenkins’ compelling composition has been performed over 1,500 times. Written for chorus, orchestra, soloist and muezzin, this poignant work was dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo conflict which was unfolding as it was being composed; its dramatic cry for peace remains relevant to our nation and the world.
May 10 • 6 pm
Presentation by Anja Adriaans, founder and chair of Albany-Nijmegen Sister City Project
at the Albany Institute of History and Art. During World War II the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands suffered catastrophic losses. In 1947 the City of Albany, in concert with institutions, schools, churches, service clubs and individuals, led a massive donation effort of food and supplies for Nijmegan’s postwar reconstruction. In turn, Queen Wilhelmina sent Albany a shipload of tulip bulbs, which inspired the first Tulip Festival in Washington Park in 1949. Adriaans will show a long-lost film from the citizens of Nijmegen to the citizens of Albany and discuss past and future sister city activities during this, the 70th anniversary year.