Each of the composers will write a movement for the mass; the texts are based on, but not necessarily drawn directly from, the Latin liturgy.

Ran will write a Credo set to the Hebrew text "Ani Ma'amin"; the Kyrie will come from Danna, the film composer who scored Monsoon Wedding, Antwone Fisher, and many other movies. Ince will compose the Gloria using a Sufi text. Moody will write the Sanctus and McGlynn (Riverdance) the Agnus Dei.

Chanticleer, an all-male a cappella group, was founded in 1978 by Louis Botto to sing the then-neglected choral repertoire of the medieval and Renaissance periods, and has been directed by Joseph Jennings since 1983. Its repertoire now includes spirituals and gospel music, pop music, opera, and contemporary classical music. The group has given the world premieres of John Tavener's Lamentations and Praises and the music-theater work Hildegard: A Measure of Joy, among other works.