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Inma Shara meets the Pope after conducting a concert at the the Vatican by Brandenburg's state orchestra.

(© picture-alliance/dpa)

Spanish composer Inma Shara became the first woman to conduct a concert at the Vatican attended by Pope Benedict XVI on December 10.

The event, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, was held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

Featuring works by Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Amilcare Ponchielli and Manuel de Falla, the concert was performed by the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester of Frankfurt based in the eastern German city of Frankfurt an der Oder which straddles the German-Polish border.

Shara, 36, was the first woman to conduct such an orchestra performance at the Vatican. She studied in her native Spain and has also led the Czech and Russian National Symphonies and London's Royal Philharmonic, as reported by Philadelphia-based Rocco Palmo at whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com.

In 2007 Marin Alsop became the first woman given the baton of a major orchestra in the United States with her ascent at the Baltimore Symphony, Palmo added.

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Inma Shara conducting Brandenburg's state orchestra.

(© picture-alliance/dpa)

Whither human dignity

The dignity of human beings will only be guaranteed "when all the fundamental rights are recognized, defended, and promoted," Pope Benedict XVI told the Vatican audience after the concert, as reported by CatholicCulture.com.

These rights, the German-born Pope said, "are a universal given, since they form part of the very nature of humanity."

The Pope said the 60th anniversary of the UN human rights declaration offers an opportunity to assess how well the world's nations and individuals are respecting the ideals contained in the document.

Unfortunately human equality and dignity are not always respected, "while new barriers have been raised for reasons tied to race, religion, political opinion or other convictions," he said as reported online by Catholic News Service. 

Rock me Amadeus

On his blog Palmo suggested that Pope Benedict XVI, previously known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, appears to be "at his happiest" during classical music concerts at the Vatican: "Concerts have long been a perk of life in the papal court, but given B16's well-known zeal for things classical (most of all Mozart), their number's seen a notable uptick since his election."

Related Links:

Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt
Frankfurt an der Oder (includes information in German, English and Polish)
Vatican: The Holy See