September 9, 2011

Cathedral concert to feature musician who witnessed World Trade Center tragedy

By John Shaughnessy

David GreshamA witness to the attacks on the World Trade Center, David Gresham offers a touching perspective on that day as he prepares to perform during a concert at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis that will mark the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.

“My wife and I lived in Queens at the time,” recalls Gresham, now a music professor at Illinois State University. “You could see the twin towers from the street corner and the train station near our house. I stood at the train station, just watching for the longest time. One of the most striking images came later when I went to the train station and the walls were covered with posters of missing people. The smell of the burning buildings lingered for a long time.”

Gresham will be one of four musicians combining their talents for the 3 p.m. concert on Sept. 11 that will feature the musical work, “Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps,” French for “Quartet for the End of Time.” The piece is the work of French composer Olivier Messiaen.

“He was a very dedicated Catholic who played the organ at a church in Paris,” Gresham notes. “A lot of his music has his faith as a source of what he’s trying to express. He was captured and taken to a prisoner of war camp in Germany during World War II.”

There’s an intensity, beauty, passion and haunting quality to the piece that will serve as a powerful tribute to the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, Gresham says.

“If we keep in mind what we’re remembering, it will have an even more powerful effect,” he says.

Gresham notes that he sometimes gets emotional when he recalls the events of 9/11.

“Sometimes when I talk about it, I still choke up,” he says. “It’s like when a loved one dies. You live and move on, but there’s always something missing there.” †

Local site Links: