ASU emeritus professor’s composition on justice, kindness and humility brings community together

Emeritus Professor David Schildkret, former director of choral activities for the Arizona State University School of Music, Dance and Theatre for more than 20 years, felt compelled to compose a new work to honor those whose lives have been lost through acts of violence.

“After the actions of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) throughout 2025–26, particularly the fatal shootings of Reneé Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, I felt something break within me,” said Schildkret. “It was a decisive moment.”

The world premiere piece, “Requiem for the Innocent,” was performed in concert and conducted by Schildkret in May at Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe where he is the director of the church’s music ministries. The church, known for taking a stand against injustice and encouraging faith in action, hosted the concert as part of an immigration justice program focused on raising awareness and providing support.

Schildkret said he has been upset about the way certain people or groups have been treated with violence since the 1960s when fire hoses were turned on people in Selma, Alabama, during a peaceful march.

“If we, as a people and a nation, want change, we have to create it,” he said. “Nothing will change unless we change.”

Schildkret said the title, “Requiem for the Innocent,” came to him right away, but he struggled with the text for the piece, landing on the idea of using Bible passages, with some adaptations.

He said the work’s central message asks, “What must we do?” He said the answer that comes from scripture is: "Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly.”

Schildkret shared the text he wrote from the passages with Dayspring’s pastors for advice on theological inconsistencies, and the work’s accuracy was approved without any changes. The spiritual “Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child” and the hymn “Breathe on me Breath of God” became pillars and musical anchors in the piece. 

The concert featured baritone Nathan De’ Shon Myers, ASU associate professor of voice, and soprano Michelle Pérez, DMA student in performance (voice). The choir included Dayspring’s Celebration Chorale, singers from the community and ASU music alumni. The orchestra was mostly composed of several current ASU music students and alumni musicians from around the Valley.

Schildkret said everyone he asked to be involved in the project said yes, whether in the workshops or the choir.

“I think it has to do with the fact that we all feel angry, a bit helpless and frustrated by what we see around us," said Schildkret. 

What started as a concert quickly evolved into an afternoon of free events including a panel discussion and workshops that church staff and community members wanted to include.

During the afternoon, Dayspring hosted an immigration justice program, “Standing with the Stranger: Concern, Remembrance, Action.” The program included a panel discussion with Evelyn H. Cruz, clinical professor of law with ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and director of its Immigration Clinic, and several community members who actively work with immigration issues. Workshops followed the panel to provide practical pathways for involvement, including education, advocacy, and support of organizations serving immigrant communities.

“As an immigration scholar, exploring and analyzing the intricacies of U.S. immigration history, the settlement of immigrant populations and the policies that have shaped this country have made my career deeply satisfying, but the opportunity to share what I have learned with my students and communities is even more rewarding,” said Cruz. “I also believe that a retrospective on our immigration history can teach us much.”

Cruz said while conversations about immigration are often emotional and divisive, immigration policies affect many aspects of social life in the U.S., and knowledge and understanding are a key aspect of a participatory democracy.

Schildkret said the central message of his composition — do justice, love kindness, walk with humility — comes from Micah 6:8.

“If we consistently did those three things all the time — sought justice for everyone, treated people kindly and had a certain humility about ourselves, that we don't have all the answers and that it's OK for people to be different — a lot of what’s wrong in our world would be better,” said Schildkret. “Even small gestures of justice and small acts of kindness and small moments of humility can create change.”