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The Saturday presentation ceremony of the “Per Artem ad Deum” Medals brought together the heroes of the year – the Medal laureates. World premiere of a new version of Ennio Morricone’s “Tra Cielo e Terra” was also performed during the gala. The ceremony and the concert gathered the audience of two thousand people.

- This is the concert of two dimensions. It represents the dialogue between religion and culture as well as the affiliations of the Holy See and Poland. This is the evening when the faith and music converge afresh in the name of John Paul II; this happens thanks to the fact that the music is dedicated to him – said the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture HE Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi during the ceremony.

The Cardinal also highlighted the significance of choral performance for sacral and classical music; this way he paid the tribute to the other medal winner – Professor Stefan Stuligrosz.

– The essence of music and religion coalescence was best described by the writer Henry Miller who was an atheist himself. He wrote that religion and arts serve no particular purpose but to demonstrate the sense of life – stressed the Cardinal during the conference held prior to the Medal presentation ceremony. The Medals have been presented to the artists who bring people closer to God through their art.

- The music I write is associated with the religion and the Head of the Church John Paul II; owing to this fact I have been able to become familiar with this Great Pole. I came to realise that this man became the Pope and the Pope remained a man – said Morricone. The artist informed that the Kielce version of the “Tra Cielo a Terra” composition is the first performance of this kind.

The artist appreciated the cantata performance of the Symphonic Orchestra of the Swietokrzyskie Philharmonic directed by Jacek Rogala and the Krakow Philharmonic Choir

The concert of the Poznan Nightingales Choir performing, inter alia, the compositions of Mikołaj Gomułka, Wacław of Szamotuły of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart brought the audience closer to the sacrum. The artist performed acapella and accompanied by the pipe organ.

– Today’s programme is not a coincidence; as I was building the repertoire I reached for the works Professor Stuligrosz most liked to conduct. And among them the rework of the old Polish song “O Merciful Mother”; the new adaptation was made by Professor Stuligrosz himself. He was especially proud of it; we love to play perform this work as it makes us feel the Professor is still with us– said the Poznan Nightingales Boys and Men Choir director Maciej Wieloch. The Choir represented Professor Stuligrosz at the gala ceremony; professor died in June 2012, just a few days after the Medal winners had been announced.

The Per Artem Ad Deum medal has been awarded by the Pontifical Council for Culture, the body which was founded in 1982 upon the initiative of Pope John Paul II. For 8 years the special distinction has been presented in the Targi Kielcetrade fair and exhibition centre.

“Per Artem ad Deum” accompanies the International Exhibition of Church Construction, Church Fittings and Furnishings and Religious Art SACROEXPO. Until now the Medal has been bestowed to, inter alia, the composer Wojciech Kilar, the director Krzysztof Zanussi, a theatre scenographer and director Leszek Mądzik and Stanisław Niemczyk; the creator of unusual sacral buildings.

The media sponsors of the Targi Kielce concert were RMF Classic, Interia.pl, TVP1 and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily.