In Christianity, the Beatitudes (anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: Beatitudines) are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful.

The teachings are expressed as eight blessings in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Four similar blessings appear in the Sermon on the Plain in Luke and are followed by four woes that mirror the blessings.

Each Beatitude consists of two phrases: the condition and the result. In almost all cases the phrases used are familiar from an Old Testament context, but in the sermon Jesus elevates them to new teachings.

Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of Christian ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction. They echo the highest ideals of the teachings of Jesus on mercy; spirituality and compassion.

While opinions may vary as to exactly how many distinct statements the Beatitudes should be divided into (ranging from eight to ten), most scholars consider them to be only eight. These eight of Matthew follow a simple pattern: Jesus names a group of people normally thought to be unfortunate and pronounces them blessed.

Kirsty Hawkshaw (born 26 October 1969 in London, UK) is a British dance/electronica/house/trance musician and songwriter. She is known for her participation as lead vocalist for the group Opus III, and her collaborative work with other musicians and producers.

Kirsty Hawkshaw is the daughter of the British production music/film music composer and disco record producer Alan Hawkshaw.

At a rave event in 1991 she was noticed by producers Ian Munro, Kevin Dobbs and Nigel Walton, who at the time were known as A.S.K. It was through this meeting that they would form a dance act called Opus III. Their first single, a cover version of the song "It's a Fine Day" from their debut album Mind Fruit was an international success and Top 10 hit on UK Singles Chart, and reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1992. A reversed sample of Hawkshaw's singing from this track was used in the Orbital track "Halcyon," the music video for which featured Hawkshaw. Opus III also had another US #1 hit on the same chart in 1994 with "When You Made The Mountain", from their second and final album, Guru Mother.

Daniel Bélanger (born in Montreal, 1962) is a musician/singer/songwriter. He is considered one of the best Quebec songwriters and singers to emerge in the past 15 years. His music is eclectic, inspired by alternative rock, folk and electronic music, sometimes humorous sometimes wistful.

In middle 1983, he founded the band Humphrey Salade with Norman Lachance, Eric Maier and Jean Gauvin. Unfortunately, timing was not right and the band never recorded.

His first solo album released in 1992, Les Insomniaques s'amusent has sold 175,000 copies and won the Félix for best pop-rock album. The first single released Opium was number one in Quebec for seven weeks and won the Félix for Videoclip of the Year. This first album also earned him the ADISQ awards for Bestselling Album of the Year, Male Performer of the Year and Show of the Year in 1994. With this debut album, Bélanger had carved out his own special place in the hearts of Quebecers.

In 1996, Quatre saisons dans le désordre was released. Awards flooded in (Félix for the Pop-Rock Album, Singer-Songwriter and Show of the Year, in the singer-songwriter category), sales went wild (the album was certified Platinum), and titles like Les deux printemps, Sortez-moi de moi and Les Temps fous (Félix for Videoclip of the Year) topped the charts.

Slim Smith (born Keith Smith, 1948, Kingston, Jamaica, died 1973) was a ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. In their book Reggae: The Rough Guide (1997), Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton described Smith as "the greatest vocalist to emerge in the rocksteady era".

Smith first came to prominence as a member of the Victors Youth Band, who were highly praised at the 1964 Jamaican Festival. He subsequently became a founding member and lead vocalist of The Techniques, who recorded primarily with Duke Reid for his Treasure Isle label. In 1964 they recorded several songs for Byron Lee, two of which, "Don't Do It" and "No One", were included on the "The Real Jamaica Ska" LP released by Epic Records and co-produced by Curtis Mayfield. After the Techniques disbanded in 1965, he formed The Uniques, who released a handful of singles.

In 1969 Slim Smith commenced recording for Prince Buster and Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label, the main rival to Duke Reid. His Studio One recordings brilliantly highlight his passionate, soulful voice, which had an almost manic edge, and confirm him as one of Jamaica's greatest singers. His hits from this period include "The New Boss", "Hip Hug" and "Rougher Yet", many of which were later compiled for the album Born To Love. In 1967 he formed a new version of The Uniques, and commenced his association with producer Bunny Lee. They topped the Jamaican hit parade with "Let Me Go Girl", but after recording one album, Absolutely The Uniques, Smith left the group, staying with Lee to concentrate on a solo career.

Henry Mollicone (born 1946) is an American composer and musical instructor. He currently resides in Saratoga, California.

Mollicone is known for his one-act operas, including Emperor Norton, Starbird, and The Mask of Evil. One of his most popular works is the one-act chamber opera The Face on the Barroom Floor. Originally commissioned in 1978 for the Central City Opera of Central City, Colorado, The Face on the Barroom Floor was inspired by the painting of the same title on the floor of the Teller House Bar in Central City. Mollicone has also written three full-length operas: Coyote Tales, Hotel Eden, and Gabriel's Daughter. He has written works for both film and television. In addition, he has written pieces for voice, ballet, chorus and other various chamber combinations.

As a former faculty member of the Santa Clara University Department of Music, Henry Mollicone also acts as an instructor, adjudicator and collaborator. His greatest musical influences have been Puccini, Verdi, Britten, Bernstein, and Michael Isaacson.