AWEN – The Sacred Veil, an original creation by Martin Harriague, choreographer and director of the Ballet de l’Opéra Grand Avignon, brings the dancers together around The Sacred Veil by Eric Whitacre, the internationally acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning composer.

Written for piano, cello and choir, the score draws on the intimate story of Julie, who died of cancer, and her partner Charles Anthony Silvestri, librettist and longtime friend of Eric Whitacre. The music explores the intensity of their bond, their shared love and the trials they went through.

Martin Harriague’s choreography turns the body into a musical instrument: movement does not merely accompany the music, it extends it and makes it visible. The dancers embody the music, carry its emotion and give shape to this universal story of connection, transformation and resilience.

Premiered in the Great Chapel of the Palais des Papes in Avignon in May 2026, with the exceptional participation of the Chœur de l’Opéra Grand Avignon under the musical direction of Alan Woodbridge, the piece is also performed to a recording by the renowned vocal ensemble VOCES8, whose musical quality and depth carry the full intensity of the work.

AWEN – The Sacred Veil offers audiences an intense moment in which dance and voice converse, in a pared-down and deeply human form.