Out of Great Tribulation.
Through the Flames is a dramatic new song cycle for soprano and organ exploring the lives of six saints and martyrs whose stories span continents, cultures, and nearly two thousand years of history.
The Vision
Through the Flames was born from a desire to give musical voice to the extraordinary men, women, and even children whose unwavering convictions transformed suffering into enduring witness. The cycle focuses on six saints—Joan of Arc, Maximilian Kolbe, Little Li, Perpetua, Blessed Miguel Pro, and Maria Goretti—whose lives span continents, cultures, and nearly two millennia of Christian history. Though their stories differ greatly, they were united by an unwavering love of Christ and the conviction that no earthly suffering could separate them from Him.
Their witness finds its fullest expression in the vision of the Book of Revelation: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
This vision forms the spiritual heart of the cycle. Each story becomes part of a larger journey from earthly suffering toward the fullness of life promised by Christ.
The title Through the Flames is drawn from the opening movement portraying the martyrdom of Saint Joan of Arc, whose earthly witness ended in literal flames. Yet the title also speaks to the Christian understanding of faith refined through trial. Scripture compares faith to gold tested in fire; for many of these saints, that image became a lived reality. The flames that sought to destroy instead became the passage through which they entered eternal glory.
The work's unusual combination of soprano and organ arose naturally from the collaboration between composer Samuel Backman, an organist, and poet and soprano Elena Zolnick, whose operatic artistry helped shape the dramatic vision of the cycle. Together, they sought to embrace the full emotional spectrum of these extraordinary lives: quiet contemplation gives way to poignant intensity; mystical reflection stands alongside childlike innocence, exuberant joy, and, at times, stark realism. These are not distant figures preserved behind stained glass, but living men and women whose courage, fear, hope, and triumph continue to speak across the centuries.
Works written specifically for soprano and organ remain remarkably uncommon. Here, the organ serves not merely as accompaniment but as an equal dramatic partner—a one-person orchestra capable of extraordinary breadth of color and expression, from whispered intimacy to overwhelming grandeur. Paired with the expressive range of the soprano voice, it becomes an exceptionally versatile medium through which these stories unfold.
The choice of All Saints' Day for the world premiere is no coincidence. On this feast, the Church celebrates not only the memory of the saints, but their continuing life within the communion of heaven. Through the Flames therefore traces a journey from earthly witness to heavenly triumph, inviting listeners to contemplate not only the cost of conviction, but also the profound joy and abiding hope that made such sacrifice possible.
Saint Joan of Arc
15th Century France
Possibly the most notorious of all Christian martyrs (although officially canonized only in 1920), Joan's story is well-known: she received visions from Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret of Antioch, and Michael the Archangel, entreating her to lead France to victory over the English. What is less talked about is that it was her own people, the French, who put her to death for heresy and sorcery (she was vindicated 23 years after her sham "trial" and death), making her martyrdom all the more bitter. As she was tied to the pyre and the flames rose about her, she called out to the crowd to hold up a crucifix, so that she may "see it through the flames". In the face of betrayal, torture, and death, her thought was to keep her eyes on Jesus. St. Joan of Arc was undoubtedly the springboard of the entire composition.
Little Li
20th Century China
Little Li's story takes place in communist China in the 1950's. After soldiers ransacked her school and church, she snuck back in and found consecrated Hosts strewn across the ground. She returned and worshiped in adoration each day for a month, consuming one Host a day (in an effort to be obedient to the instruction to not receive Communion more than once a day!) The missionary priest who had escaped the soldiers was hiding in the wreckage of the church and saw her come in each day. On the final day, a soldier entered and shot her while she knelt in prayer. While not much is known about the child "Little Li", and not officially canonized, she is remembered as the inspiration for Archbishop Fulton Sheen to keep his daily holy hour and remain close to the Lord in prayer, leading Sheen to become one of the most influential Catholics in the 20th century through television and media! "They will see, Little Li, they will see."
Blessed Miguel Pro
20th Century Mexico
"Padre Pro" was a Mexican Jesuit priest, martyred during the Mexican Revolution in 1927 at the age of 36. While priests who did not conform to the government were persecuted and arrested, Padre Pro would bicycle around town, talking to workers and laborers, offering confession and mass in secret. He enjoyed wearing a disguise, particularly a mustache! A man of good humor, he was fondly known as "God's jester" and would say "when I get to heaven, I am going to hand out favors like I'm dealing cards--so get your prayers ready!" Arrested on trumped-up charges of attempted assasination, Pro was executed without a trial. He heroically declined the blindfold, stretched his arms out in cruciform, and loudly exclaimed, "With all my heart I forgive my enemies! Viva Cristo Rey!
St. Maximillian Kolbe
20th Century Poland
St. Maximillian Kolbe is known as the "martyr of Auschwitz" for taking the place of another man who was sentenced to death while imprisoned at the concentration camp during WWII. As a young boy, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and asked him if he would accept either the White Crown of purity, or the Red Crown of martyrdom--he chose both. The dramatic end of his life was truly the culmination of a life spent totally, and intensely, for the Lord and His Blessed Mother. Kolbe's contributions to the faith are profound and significant--he founded and led the Militia Immaculata, one of the largest movements for Marian Consecration in history, as well as a Catholic magazine for which the Nazis arrested and imprisoned him. While imprisoned at Auschwitz, he insisted on showing mercy to his captors by praying for them and the other prisoners before taking the place of Franciszek Gajowniczek, who survived the camp and was later present at Koble's canonization in 1982.
Saint Perpetua
2nd Century Carthage
The account of Saint Perpetua is one of the earliest and most notable Christian texts, where she herself details her imprisonment as a Christian in 203 AD. Perpetua was a young mother who was arrested for being Christian. Her father came to the gates of the prison, showed her her baby boy, and pleaded with her to renounce her faith for the sake of her child. Perpetua held fast, knowing that her witness and sacrifice would prove stronger for the eternal well-being of the child. It is a truly heart-breaking account, and yet her courage prevailed in the greatest battle.
Saint Maria Goretti
19th Century Italy
Maria was a young girl of 11 years old when Alessandro, a man who shared her home and worked as a farm hand for her family, attempted to rape her. When she resisted him, calling out "no, it is a sin! Jesus would not want it!" he stabbed her 14 times. As she lay dying, Maria forgave Alessandro. While in prison, Alessandro received a vision of Maria Goretti offering him 14 lilies--one for each stab wound. He experienced tremendous conversion and became a model prisoner. After being released, he sought out Maria's mother to ask forgiveness, which she granted. They attended mass together the following day, receiving Holy Communion side-by-side. Alessandro lived the remainder of his life as a lay Franciscan brother. The beauty of the story is not only in Maria as a martyr of virtue, but in the power of forgiveness.
"Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends."
~John 15:13
Throughout every age of history, there have been men, women, and children who have valued the love of Christ above every earthly possession—even life itself. Their witness was not born of a longing for death, but of a love so profound that fear could not overcome it. The Church remembers them as martyrs: not victims of history, but radiant witnesses to a hope stronger than suffering and a joy that transcends every earthly trial.
Through the Flames gives musical voice to that witness.
Through the lives of Joan of Arc, Maximilian Kolbe, Little Li, Perpetua, Blessed Miguel Pro, and Maria Goretti, the cycle journeys across centuries and continents, revealing the remarkable diversity of those who have answered Christ's call with heroic fidelity. Each story is unique, yet together they proclaim the same enduring truth: that love is stronger than fear, grace is stronger than violence, and life in Christ is stronger than death.
Written for the uncommon pairing of soprano and organ, Through the Flames embraces a dramatic musical language as varied as the lives it portrays. Moments of contemplation yield to scenes of anguish, courage, tenderness, sacrifice, and exultant hope. The organ—capable of whispering intimacy and thundering grandeur—stands beside the human voice as an equal partner in telling these timeless stories.
The cycle reaches its spiritual center in the words of Revelation:
"These are they who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
Premiering on the Solemnity of All Saints, Through the Flames is more than a remembrance of those who have gone before us. It is a celebration of the communion of saints—the great cloud of witnesses whose lives continue to illuminate the path of faith. Their stories remind us that holiness is not reserved for the extraordinary, but is born wherever ordinary people respond to God's grace with extraordinary love.
More than a song cycle, Through the Flames is an invitation: to reflect, to remember, and to glimpse the eternal glory promised to those who persevere in faith. As Saint Paul writes, "The sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed." (Romans 8:18)
Press & Media
Media Inquiries:
Samuel Backman, Composer & Organist
Elena Zolnick, Poet & Librettist