Artist: Hanneke Cassel
Hometown: Somerville, Massachusetts
Song: “Last Alleluia”
Album: Infinite Brightness
Release Date: April 14, 2023
Label: Cassel Records
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Last Alleluia’ several years ago, originally as a farewell tune for some good friends who were moving away. My friend had been my pastor for many years and the name comes from a thing he would do every year around Easter involving burying a piece of paper that had the word ‘Allelulia’ written on it, and then pulling it out on the Sunday morning of Easter. I went on to orchestrate the tune for the band Childsplay — a group with 20+ fiddles that I played in for many years. One of the members of the group, Molly Gawler, choreographed an amazing dance to the piece that painted a beautiful picture of birth, life, and death — and much of the joy and grief that goes with it. Ultimately, this piece was used as a lament to mourn the loss of my pastor’s wife, who died in 2019 from pancreatic cancer. The tune now carries tremendous grief with it, but also inspires celebration of a much loved person and a well-lived life.” — Hanneke Cassel
Photo Credit: Kelly Lorenz
