When the National Music Festival at Washington College presents Giuseppe Verdi’s dramatic Requiem midway through its 2014 June season, local singers of the Chester River Chorale will be joined by counterparts from Annapolis, Frederick, and Philadelphia to form the chorus.
Festival Artistic Director Richard Rosenberg will conduct the Festival Symphony Orchestra, four professional soloists, and the joined choruses in the challenging and exciting work that Verdi composed to honor the 1873 death of his friend, Italian writer and patriot Alessandro Manzoni.
The choristers begin and end the concert with the nearly whispered word “requiem” imploring that the dead be granted peace. In between, the volume ranges from multiple fortissimos in the “Dies Irae” sections warning of the terror of judgment day, to softly lyrical passages in sections such as the nearly sobbing “Lacrymosa”.
The chorus singers are drawn from the Annapolis Chorale, the Frederick Chorale, Philadelphia’s Singing City, and the local Chester River Chorale, all of which feature amateur singers led by a professional artistic director.
Douglas D. Cox, artistic director of the Chester River and Frederick Chorales, said: “It is inspiring to see the level of dedication the chorales have brought to this project. I doubt that any choral masterwork on this scale has ever been seen or heard in Chestertown—and the Chester River and Frederick chorales will surely have an integral role in the performance.
“While the groups from Annapolis and Philadelphia have each performed this monumental work, it is new to most of CRC’s and FC’s members. I truly feel that our members here have taken ownership of it, as if a successful performance were a matter of hometown pride. The audience will be astounded by what they hear from their friends and neighbors on the Upper Shore.”
The concert, which falls at the midpoint of the National Music Festival, will be presented at the Kent County High School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 8. Tickets are $15 and can be bought in advance at the National Music Festival web site nationalmusic.us.
The Chester River Chorale’s amateur singers are drawn mainly from Kent and Queen Anne’s counties. No audition is required. We urge all who want to sing for the love it to join us this coming September.
Visit www.chesterriverchorale.org for more information on the local chorale. The CRC’s Mission is to provide opportunity and inspiration for amateur singers to strive for artistic excellence. CRC performances entertain diverse audiences and enrich the cultural life of the community.
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