In commemoration of 9-11 and to foster unity among different faiths, the American Festival Chorus and the organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform a free concert tonight at 7, in the historic Logan Tabernacle downtown. The entirely volunteer-created show was organized by interfaith group Cache Community Connections. The show hopes to promote interaction between Cache Valley residents of differing faiths and to remember the events of Sept. 11 eight years ago, said John Ribera, who serves as managing director of the American Festival Chorus. The AFC is a large choir and will be hard pressed to fit all its members in the choir loft, said Ribera.

“There are 300 of us, so it’ll certainly fill the choir loft and then some,” said Ribera.

Clay Christiansen, the organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, will perform an organ solo as part of the show, and the AFC will be directed by music department head and former Mormon Tabernacle Choir director Craig Jessop.

Four community leaders will speak at the memorial, including former Logan mayor Doug Thompson, who really pushed the idea to start Cache Community Connections after Sept. 11, 2001, said committee member Dan Judd.

“He called for the formation of an interfaith council ... on behalf of the Muslim families in our community, to make sure that there was no ill-will acted out upon them,” said Judd. “And there was none. I think the community at large is to be credited for the fact that there really was not that feeling of enmity that there was in a lot of places.”

Palestinian native and USU Water Research Lab Engineer Said Ghabayen will also speak for a short time during the memorial. Ghabayen was a USU doctoral student at the time of the 9-11 attacks and represented Logan’s Muslim community as a founding member of the CCC. There will also be representatives from Logan’s different Christian churches, said Judd.

The event is also in commemoration of the eighth year since Cache Community Connections was formed, said Judd. According to their Web site, the Cache Community Connections organization is a group of religious and civic leaders throughout Cache Valley who came together after Sept.11, 2001 to promote communication and understanding between various groups of people, especially different faiths. Faiths such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Bah’ai, Unitarian Universalism and Buddhism are all represented in the CCC organization, in addition to many community groups such as Logan city and USU Extension.

The concert has been organized and will be performed entirely by volunteers. The show starts at 7 p.m. and goes until 8:30, at the Logan historic Tabernacle on 50 N. Main Street. To find out more about volunteering with Cache Community Connections visit their Web site: www.cachecommunityconnections.com

–butler.brendon@gmail.com