Letter from Italy, 1944, by American composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder, was commissioned and premiered by the GMChorale in April 2013 at the Performing Arts Center in Middletown, CT. Conducted by Joseph D’Eugenio, this performance was fully staged by director Sheila Garvey, with projections and lighting design by Jiyoun Chang and Sheila Garvey.  This oratorio was inspired by and set to the poetry of Nancy Fitz-Hugh Meneely and the book by Joseph D’Eugenio, and is scored for chorus, orchestra and soloists. The storyline focuses on the problem now affecting so many returning military and their families – PTSD. It also affected the Meneely family when their father returned from his WWII service as a medic with the 10th Mountain Division.

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