Fort Myers Symphonic Master Singers to perform cantata based on Civil War memoir

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WINK) — The Fort Myers Symphonic Master Singers will perform a Civil War Cantata this weekend. The performance, titled “The Witness: Incidents of the War of the Rebellion,” will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Cape Coral and Bonita Springs.

• RELATED: Southwest Florida Symphony to close after 60 years

The cantata is based on a memoir written by James Waxler, a Union soldier from Pennsylvania. The memoir, titled "Incidents of the War of the Rebellion," was written in 1888 to share Waxler's experiences with his son, Walter.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a Cantata is “a composition for one or more voices, usually comprising solos, duets, recitatives, and choruses and sung to an instrumental accompaniment.”

Waxler's great-great-grandson, Matthew Koller, is the Art Director for "The Witness."

Koller first read the memoir over 20 years ago, after the birth of his own son. "I sat down, and over a period of about a month, I transcribed the entire document," said Koller. He found the writing eloquent and the stories compelling enough to set to music.

Koller said the performance aims to connect past and present, drawing parallels between the Civil War and today’s societal divides.

"I think we could make an argument that our nation is now more divided than it was since then," Koller said.

Thomas LaVoy is the composer for “The Witness.” He said this piece will help people better understand the contributions that veterans provide to this country.

“Until I composed this piece, I did not have the full understanding of the sacrifice that veterans go through,” LaVoy said. “So, in a big way, this piece honors that.”

He said the memoir serves as a warning about the realities of civil war.

“Veterans who will be there are veterans of foreign wars,” LaVoy said. “This is a description of wars in this country, of a civil conflict that brought those things to our streets. I think that this piece is a warning. People talk about a second Civil War pretty flippantly, and I think that’s a real mistake. Anybody who talks flippantly about a Civil War in the United States doesn’t understand what that would truly mean.”

Koller believes the memoir and the Cantata exemplify the spirit of the Union army during the Civil War.

“At its heart, the work reflects on the endurance of the Union,” Koller said. “As James [Waxler] says at the conclusion of The Witness: “By this war we kept the country from being divided and freed a large race of people from bondage. And in conclusion, I, as one of the participants, hope the like may never again occur in this, our noble country, America.”

Koller also emphasized that the cantata will appeal to people of all political leanings, despite its topic.

"There's nothing that is offensive towards any one side," he said. "It just gets you to think, and that's the point of any art form."

LaVoy said that in working with Koller, he not only found someone to work with professionally, but he also found family.

“That was one of the smoothest experiences that I’ve had,” LaVoy said. “A huge credit to the Fort Myers Symphonic Master Singers for understanding this is work that takes a lot of time and effort. On a creative level, the best person I’ve ever worked with in my career so far has been Matt Koller. I was worried about working with somebody whose family was involved in a piece of this size and scope. But Matt and I were recently at a fundraiser, and he called me his brother, and I really think we developed a strong kinship.”

While LaVoy doesn’t think young children should watch the show because of its graphic themes, he thinks it is a story that will make adults appreciate their family more.

“There’s a depth of feeling and emotion to this that is genuinely hard to describe,” LaVoy said. “Some of the poetry deals directly with motherhood, and in ways that are really challenging and difficult. But I promise you that if you come to this concert, you will hold your kids even tighter.”

The first concert will be at the First Presbyterian Church in Cape Coral on Saturday at 5 p.m., and the second will be at the First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Click here for tickets to "The Witness: Incidents of the War of the Rebellion."