WHAT: “The Words of Schweitzer & the Music of Bach” is presented at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. This multimedia musical production is based on the ideas of Albert Schweitzer, a physician, musician and humanitarian best known for his philosophy of “reverence for life.”
“Reverence for life comprises the whole ethic of love in its deepest and highest sense,” Schweitzer said. “It is the source of constant renewal for the individual and for mankind.”
Written by Thurston Moore of the Tennessee Players, “The Words of Schweitzer & the Music of Bach” blends historical images, music and drama..
WHEN: Today, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m. The production will be followed by an open cast party at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Health Science Center auditorium, located at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive in the South Texas Medical Center.
WHO: The director of the Health Science Center performance is Craig M. Klugman, Ph.D., assistant director of ethics education at the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics, which organized the event.
The role of Albert Schweitzer is played by Richard A. Lange, M.D., M.B.A., professor and executive vice chair of the Department of Medicine. He will be joined by pediatrics resident Allison Grimes, M.D.; second-year medical student Martin Hechanova; third-year medical student Kyle Kalkwarf; Ann Minier of the purchasing department; and geriatrics researcher Sharon Sutton.
Music will be performed by two highly regarded organists. David Eaton is a lecturer in The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Department of Music, as well as the director of music, organist and choirmaster at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Alamo Heights. David Heller is a professor of music and university organist at Trinity University.
NOTES: “The Words of Schweitzer and the Music of Bach” is being performed in cities across the United States this year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Schweitzer’s only visit to this country.
Born into an Alsatian family in 1875, Schweitzer was a distinguished musician and theological scholar before he earned a medical degree and went to work as a medical missionary in French Equatorial Africa, where he first came up with his philosophy of reverence for life.
“Hope is renewed each time that you see a person you know, who is deeply involved in the struggle of life, helping another person,” he later wrote. “You are the unaffected witness and must agree that there is hope for mankind. And those who are not so tied down to the struggle for existence – who are freer – must give the example of service.” Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $668 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $36 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 25,600 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.