Dona Nobis Pacem

Dona Nobis Pacem (“Grant Us Peace”) for Wind Ensemble, by Grammy award-winning composer Michael Daugherty, is a work for high school and intermediate-level college band. The work is inspired by President John F Kennedy's visionare creation of the Peace Corps in 1961. The work was commissioned by and is dedicated to Glen Adsit (1964-2024), who was Director of Bands at the Hartt School for 24 years.

Promoting peace was on the mind of presidential candidate John F. Kennedy when he arrivde on the University of Michigan campus in the early morning hours of October 14, 1960. Speaking to a crowd of 10,000 students from the steps of the Michigan Union, he asked if they “would be willing to volunteer in underdeveloped countries around the world”. This impromptu speech is widely regarded as the catalyst for what would become the Peace Corps. After taking office in 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order officially creating the organization. Still active today, the Peace Corps “promotes peace and friendship through community-based development and intercultural understanding,” sending thousands of volunteers each year on two-year assignments to share their skills and live alongside community members in developing nations worldwide.

Dona Nobis Pacem is a short prayer for peace from the Agnus Dei section of the Latin Mass. Daugherty's composition for wind ensemble expresses hope for peace and harmony in the world, integrating the 17th-century folksong traditionall associated with Dona Nobis Pacem with the composer's original music.