The Anglican Cathedral will be filled with the sights and sounds of 63 young and adult voices, musicians, African dancers, animal noises, and maybe the odd live bark or meow when the Earth mass, 'Missa Gaia', is presented at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The hour-long concert, directed by Ryan Ellis of the Bermuda School of Music (BSM) faculty, will include 23 young soprano voices of the school's Treble Choir, who are aged seven to 12; 42 adult voices of its Bermuda Chamber Choir, as well as soloist Joy Barnum; the Bermuda African Dance Company, and BSM and musicians Steve Crawford (guitar), Oliver Grant (piano), Brian Swan (double bass), Shelton Bean (drums), and Julio Cesar, Larry Trott and Karen Simons (percussion).

All are eagerly rehearsing for what Mr. Ellis terms "a wonderful message".

"The nature of the music is based around the imaging of St. Francis of Assisi, and is all about nature conservation, ecology and animals, and treating animals as God's creatures," he said. "It is a wonderful message, and it thrills me to bring this music to Bermuda because the Island is one of God's greatest natural beauties."

'Missa Gaia' was written by a group of composers, including saxophonist and Grammy Award winner Paul Winter, for percussion, guitar, piano, drums and double bass, and features what the director says is "a wonderful ethnic mix — from ancient, sacred music to modern gospel style; from Gregorian chant and African chant, to Afro-Cuban rhythms and Brazilian beats."

The work also incorporates the sounds of wild animals — the howl of the wolf and whale song — as melodic themes in the music.

"Winter took a recording of the Alaska tundra wolf and used that theme in the saxophone, and then the voices, because in singing the Latin they 'call' to each other," Mr. Ellis explained.

"First we hear the wolf, then the saxophone picks it up, and the voices use the same wolf cry as a theme. The same thing happens in a later movement, the Sanctus, only this time Winter uses the humpback whale song which was recorded by Frank Watlington off Bermuda.

"It is used as the melodic fragment of the entire movement. The composer's intention was to include the natural songs of these great animals as composers in this music."

Combined with 'Missa Gaia' will be a special blessing of real animals.

"We hope to get as many people as possible there with their pets, and inspire them to know the wonders of God's creation, and of living things," the director said.

"The purpose coincides with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of animals and ecology, so we are expressing the themes of nature conservation and loving the animals as we should love each other, and seeing them as God's creation," he added.

Tickets for the event are adults $20, children aged under 18 $10, family of two adults and three children $50.

They are available from Pulp & Circumstance, on upper Queen Street, The Music Box, and the Bermuda School of Music (296 5100 ext. 207).

Part proceeds will be donated to the SPCA and Greenrock.

"The concert is an ecological and environmental celebration, so we feel that giving back in this way is a large part of this music," Mr. Ellis said.