On August 28 of this year, a momentous event took place at St. Louis Cathedral. A live benefit for the cathedral’s Renovation and Endowment Fund was taped for a one-hour Christmas special to be aired this month. What made this event so momentous was that it marked the debut of A Creole Mass, an original composition by Wardell Quezergue which fuses elements of classical music, gospel and mainstream pop with strains of holiday standards. In addition, Quezergue, best-known for producing and arranging scores of local and national rock ‘n’ roll hits, has taken choir groups and expanded the number of vocal parts from the traditional four to as many as five to eight. In Handel-like oratorio fashion, Quezergue incorporated the standard soprano-alto-tenor-bass/baritone parts of key verses of this work but he went further and gave the basses and baritones a different sequence of notes to sing. Likewise, on other occasions, he splits the tenors, altos and sopranos into first and second parts and gives them separate scores, as well. According to Stephen Edwards, who directs the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans on this work, this could well be the first time in the history of choral music that this intricate a level of vocal layering has ever been done. Another unusual characteristic of A Creole Mass is that it has substantial musical accompaniment but no strings. There are keyboards, guitars, basses, drums, percussion and wind and woodwind instruments but no violins, violas or cellos. And yet, despite this, there is no sacrifice in the quality or the character of the work. The work itself doesn’t come across as a typical Mass with the overpowering organ and the choir singing a series of hymns. By contrast, it is more like a progression of verses—in Handelian style, with choruses and recitatives—tracing Jesus Christ’s life from birth to resurrection. A stellar cast of musicians and singers, more than 200 in all, were assembled for this project including Moses Hogan, David Torkanowsky and Sam Henry on piano/organ and Alanzo Bowen, Tony Dagradi and Jerry Embree on saxes and flute. Others include Leo Williams and Jay Griggs on guitar, Bernard Johnson and Herman LeBeaux on drums, Charles Moore on bass, Carl Bluin on baritone sax, David Sager on trombone, Ron Benko and Jeremy Davenport on trumpet and Rosa Lie Washington on tambourine. Vocal soloists, all of whom are in superb voice, include sopranos Melanie Conrad and Rev. Cynthia Wilson, tenors Brian Stratton, Bobbie Wilson, Sr., and Gary Foster and the incomparable homegrown bass/baritone, Alfred Walker III. Walker, a New Orleans Opera discovery who has graced the stage at the New York Metropolitan Opera, leads the great vocal ensemble in “Prayer to St. Francis,” the next to last track on the CD—just before the final, rousing, “Glory Hallelujah!” Also featured are the Moses Hogan Chorale and the Ursuline Academy Choir directed by Karen Jakiela. Overall, this work is a masterpiece and possibly the crowning achievement of Quezergue’s already-stellar career spanning more than half a century. The work is nearly an hour in length and will air on WDSU, Channel 6, Tuesday, December 18, 2001 beginning at 7 p.m.