Sacred Sounds is an interfaith exhibition experience that explores the ways in which the Judaism, Christianity and Islam use sound in worship. The purpose of this exhibit is to inspire empathy and understanding between members of the three primary Abrahamic religions through the lens of devotional sounds. Visitors will enjoy a sampling of sounds, from the Muslim “Call to Prayer” to Jewish liturgical verses to Christian choral antiphons in the form of a guided audio tour.

In addition to the emphasis placed on the unique acoustic traditions of each faith, there will also be on display ancient religious texts from the Harold B. Lee Library Special Collections, documentary segments highlighting members of local congregations and community choirs by Peter Totten (BYU, BA Film), and Three People, an art installation by Brandon Boulton (BYU, MFA Visual Arts).

In conjunction with the exhibit, BYU hosted an interfaith panel discussion on January 25, 2018 at 11:00 am in the Library Auditorium.

This exhibit has been primarily organized by Maddie Blonquist (BA Music, BA Humanities) with the support of Lucas Jones (BYU Alumni), Professor Jeff Sheets (CFAC – Advertising), Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw (CFAC – Music), Dr. Andrew Reed (Religious Education), and the Harold B. Lee Library. Special thanks to ORCA and the BYU Honors Program for additional funding.

Deseret News articles about the exhibition and panel:

• BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications Video
• BYU Sacred Sounds brings Together Islamic, Jewish and Christian Musical Traditions
• This New BYU Student Group Seeks Interfaith Understanding
• Why Interfaith Programming Matters at Religious Schools Like BYU