Saint Rita told differently and set to music by a string quartet

In this playful and educational mini-conferenceconcert, Pierre-Do Bourgknecht takes Saint Rita,
a popular figure of last resort, as a starting point to
explore a very contemporary idea: what endures
when everything seems about to fall apart?
The event touches on the fascinating tradition of
incorruptible bodies, the strange notion of the “odor
of sanctity,” and its complete inversion: Rita, a woman
confronted with violence, grief, and exclusion,
marked on her forehead by a foul-smelling wound,
yet inwardly unalterable. An unexpected heroine
of the Incorruptibles, without weapons but with
disarming tenacity.
With humor, cultural references, and a sense of
nuance, Pierre-Do Bourgknecht—author, composer,
performer, and music columnist for RTS—tells, plays,
and connects. The words are then extended into
music through an original creation for string quartet,
where tensions, friction, and dissonances also strive
to hold without breaking.
A playful and sensitive proposal open to all—
believers, the curious, and skeptics alike.