Berkshire Lyric Annual Spring Oratorio Concert09:35AM / Friday, April 03, 2009
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - The Berkshire Lyric Chorus will present their annual Spring Oratorio Concert on Saturday May 16 at 7:30PM, at the First Baptist Church in Pittsfield. They will be joined by guest soloists in performance of the Mozart Coronation Mass K.317 and the rarely-heard Stravinsky Mass from 1948. Artistic Director Jack Brown, now in his second year with Berkshire Lyric, will conduct.
Returning to sing with Berkshire Lyric after their debuts in 2008 will be bass John Demler of Pittsfield and tenor Alan Schneider of Northampton. They will be joined by mezzo soprano Catherine Hedberg of Boston and soprano Winifred Brown form Chicago. Ms. Hedberg is a widely acclaimed recitalist and concert singer with a growing career throughout New England.
Winifred Brown is a past winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions. In addition to singing several seasons at the Met, she has sung leading roles with Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and the opera houses of Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Central and South America. As a concert singer, she has been a soloist with many symphonies including the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra. Ms. Brown will be presenting a master class on May 17 with young singers from the area. She is the sister of Jack Brown.
Also singing in the May 16 concert will be five Berkshire Lyric Choral Scholars, each nominated by their local high school choral directors. They include soprano Caroline Sinico and bass Josh Rivera form Taconic High School, soprano Rachel Hambro from Wahconah Regional High School and sopranos Sandra Hays and Christine Chylinski form Pittsfield High School. Each will receive a scholarship for continued music study and will take part in special coaching and workshops throughout the year.
Berkshire Lyric Oratorio Chorus and guest soloists directed by Jack Brown. Admission $15; tickets at the door or call 413-499-0258. Children free.
www.berkshirelyrictheater.org
berkshirelyrictheat@berkshirelyrictheater.org
Founded in 1963 by Robert Blafield, Berkshire Lyric is a local non-profit organization that encourages the art of fine choral singing by presenting a range of quality performances and providing creative music education opportunities for young people. In addition to inviting local high school choirs to perform with us, our educational initiatives include the Blafield Children’s Chorus, The Young Musician’s Scholarship Program, Berkshire Lyric College Choral Fest, and the Berkshire Lyric Choral Scholars Program.
Berkshire Lyric is partially funded by the Massachusetts Local Cultural Councils of Pittsfield, Lenox, Richmond, Dalton, and Washington. |
