WEST VILLAGE CHORALE
487 Hudson Street
New York, N.Y. 10014
(212) 517-1776
www.westvillagechorale.org
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2008
TO:
Calendar/Cultural/Music Editors
CONTACT:
John Herzfeld, public relations director
Phone: (212) 687-4530 (press contact
only)
***Public Info Phone: (212) 517-1776***
RE:
SUMMER SINGS ’08 SERIES (JUNE 9-AUG. 11)
The
WEST VILLAGE CHORALE is pleased to announce the 2008 Summer Sings series,
our 37th annual, to be held Mondays from June 9 through August 11 at 7:30
p.m., at the historic Church of St. Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson St., one
block south of Christopher St. in the Village. Admission is $12, $10 for seniors
and students; TDF vouchers accepted. A season ticket for the whole 10-week
series is $90.
Program details here.
As
part of our constant rejuvenation of a series that began in 1972, this summer
we will introduce three new programs in addition to the accustomed core repertoire.
On July 28, the Chorale's music director, Michael Conley, will lead an evening
of favorite opera choruses. For our third annual Early Music Sing, on Aug.
11, director Gwen Toth of the noted ensemble Artek will guide the singers
through a reading of Claudio Monteverdi's monumental Vespers.
And on June 16, Giacomo Rossini's charming Petite Messe Solennelle makes
its first reappearance in recent memory, under the baton of Matthew Lewis
of the St. George's Choral Society.
Keeping
good company with Monteverdi, Rossini, and his other fellow artisans of the
opera house will be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with his Mass in C Minor
on June 30, Requiem on July 7, and Solemn Vespers
(paired with his concise Ave Verum Corpus) on July 21. Penna
Rose of Union Theological Seminary and Princeton University will lead the
first Mozart program, Conley the second, and Harold Rosenbaum of the New York
Virtuoso Singers the third.
The
series will open June 9 with Patrick Gardner of Riverside Choral Society and
Rutgers University leading the beloved German Requiem of Johannes
Brahms. On June 23, Mark Shapiro of Cantori New York and Mannes College-The
New School will lead the perhaps equally beloved Requiem of
Gabriel Fauré, paired with the always fun Gloria of Antonio
Vivaldi. And on July 14, the Chorale's founding conductor and originator of
the annual series, Gwen Gould, will return after a seven-year absence to conduct
the operatic Requiem of Giuseppe Verdi.
To
clarify, the affiliations of the conductors are listed on the brochure for
identification; their choral groups do not perform in the series. At a summer
sing, the audience and the chorus are one and the same!
The
popular audience participation series enlists some of the best choral conductors
in the region to lead experienced (or adventurous) singers in open readings
of classical masterpieces. Musical scores, piano accompaniment, and intermission
refreshments are provided. St. Luke’s, the third oldest church building in
New York, is a federal-style Village landmark built in 1822 that lends its
graceful atmosphere and reverberant acoustics to the proceedings.
With
the New York area’s abundance of skilled choral singers and conductors, the
West Village Chorale Summer Sings series attracts a chorus each Monday evening
that manages to carry off accomplished performances of often difficult masterpieces.
The singing comes from the pews of St. Luke’s, not the altar or the choir
loft, enhancing the acoustic effect. People who have bought their tickets
to listen, but not sing, have rarely left disappointed with the evening’s
music. Some have likened the series to summer pick-up basketball games, where
the action is unrehearsed but the quality still impressive.
The
West Village Chorale is an independent choral music ensemble that offers a
full-scale concert at St. Luke’s each spring and winter, in addition to smaller
presentations throughout the year. In December, we also sponsor the popular
West Village Caroling Walk and a Messiah Sing. Please call if you have any
questions or would like complimentary tickets. Thanks for your help!