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Celebrating Radical Welcome Through Music – Honoring Bishop Gene Robinson: Special Combined 10am Service on October 19
The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson
This year, a unique national consortium of churches, choirs, and cultural institutions has come together to honor The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Christian church, through a newly commissioned musical work titled Our Wildest Imagining. The project celebrates Bishop Robinson’s historic ministry and message of radical welcome through an original composition by award-winning composer Dr. Dominick DiOrio. The composition, written for chorus, organ, and optional brass—will premiere in cities across the U.S. We are honored to welcome Bishop Robinson for this special combined 10am service on Sunday, October 19 followed by a reception and Q&A in the Parish Hall. All are welcome!
A Groundbreaking Collaboration of Communities
Unlike many compositions born in solitude, Our Wildest Imagining was shaped through an unprecedented collaborative process. Ten institutions—ranging from All Saints Church in Pasadena to the Washington National Cathedral—joined forces to envision, fund, and guide the creation of the piece. Each partner contributed to shaping both its musical and theological dimensions.
“Bishop Robinson is a transformative figure — not only in our own time, but also in the long history of the Church’s journey to welcome everyone without exception,” said the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral. “We are proud to call Bishop Robinson a friend of this Cathedral, and we are thrilled to present this beautiful piece of music written in thanksgiving for the bishop and his many years of profound ministry.”
The Composer’s Deeply Personal Connection
Dr. Dominick DiOrio, a renowned conductor and composer based at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, was chosen to bring this vision to life. For DiOrio, the project is profoundly personal.
“As a gay teenager growing up in New Hampshire during Bishop Gene’s consecration, I suddenly saw a future I didn’t know was possible,” he shares. “Now, as an adult, it’s an honor to channel the hope that Gene gave me back into a musical work that honors him and tells a larger, collective story.”
Drawing on Robinson’s sermons, writings, and recordings, DiOrio created an expansive yet intimate piece that encapsulates themes of faith, resilience, and radical inclusivity.
Music with a Mission—and a Message
The seven-minute composition is designed for flexible performance: adaptable for choirs, soloists, and a range of worship or concert settings. Versions include SATB (soprano, alto, tenor bass) choir with organ, TTBB (men’s chorus), and a solo voice arrangement suitable for smaller institutions and students studying voice—each celebrating the intersection of sacred music and LGBTQ+ visibility.
A Call to Hope, Across America
From sacred spaces to concert halls, the musical work will begin its series of premiere performances in venues across the U.S. this June through the end of 2025. Media opportunities include access to premiere performances, behind-the-scenes rehearsals suitable for digital and B-roll content, and interviews with Bishop Robinson, Dr. DiOrio, and consortium representatives.
“Now more than ever, we need to sing from the rooftops of God’s unconditional love for us, which knows no bounds and rejects the notion of a judgmental and severe God,” says Robinson. “St. Augustine was right in saying that singing is like praying twice, and this new composition does so with beauty, grandeur, and grace. I am humbled and honored that such a composition would reflect so well my own love for and gratitude toward God.”
Read Bishop Robinson’s Bio HERE
Read Composer Dominick DiOrio’s Bio HERE
