Glenview Community Church hosts 12th annual Concert for Peace March 1

Glenview Community Church’s Simple Gifts Concert Series is hosting a concert exploring the theme of peace on Sunday, March 1.

Featuring the Artistrings Quartet (violinists Katherine Hughes and Carol Kalvonjian, violist Ray Ostwald, cellist Matthew Agnew) and the Kevin Kizer Quartet (saxophonist Kevin Kizer, pianist Kent Wehman, string bassist Ken Haebich, drummer Neal Wehman), organist Gary Wendt, jazz vocalist Jade Maze, and the Chime In Bell Choir of Glenview Community Church, the musicians will perform songs about peace in a variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary.

The 12th annual Concert for Peace will begin at 3 p.m. at Glenview Community Church, 1000 Elm St. A post-concert reception follows. The free-will offering benefits Building Peaceful Bridges.

The concert is being organized by Katherine Hughes. Hughes is a professional violinist, performing in and around the area for over 45 years. She and her husband, Kevin Kizer, are longtime Glenview residents. Kizer is a professional saxophonist who can be seen performing at the Green Mill, Andy’s and Constellation.

Hughes is a member of the Glenview Community Church and for the last 12 years has organized the Concert for Peace.

The theme is based on Ken Haebich’s “Passages: A Cantata for Peace,” which includes passages from various faiths and beliefs.

Building Peaceful Bridges began in the Glenview home of Lori Lucchetti in 2014 when she began hosting groups of interfaith women along with neighbors and friends.

One of these women was Ahlam Mahmood who had arrived to the United States in 2008 with her two young children from war-torn Iraq by way of Syria.

Ahlam would attend and bring other refugee women who were resettling in the Chicago area. Building Peaceful Bridges sponsors and supports immigrants from all over the world who are victims of conflict and wars they neither wanted, understood, nor supported.

With the help of Building Peaceful Bridges and the assistance of their partners, refugees learn English, settle into their new homes, and learn the American way of life. For more information, visit buildingpeacefulbridges.org.

The Glenview Community Church is handicapped accessible and has plenty of free on-site parking. It is three blocks west of the Glenview Metra North train station. The Glenview Community Church is an open and affirming congregation.

Visit gccucc.org/calendar-of-events/, email simplegifts@gccucc.org or call (847) 724-2210 for further details.