The Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut (MCC) will herald the spring season with a concert, "Broadway to Opera - the Grand Connection," on Saturday, May 12, at 8 p.m., in 天美传媒视频无限制观看's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The choir, under the direction of conductor Carole Ann Maxwell of Fairfield, has been named the Quick Center's Chorus-in-Residence for 2000-01.
"Broadway to Opera," a sparkling array of theater favorites, will spotlight arias, duets and choruses by Verdi, Puccini, Strauss, Sondheim, Loewe and many other prominent Broadway and opera composers. The program includes timeless musical themes of romance, revenge, rivalry and revelry and will illustrate how great music illuminates, even elevates, our lives and frees us to connect our hearts with our minds.
Music from Broadway's "Rent," "Jekyll and Hyde," "Les Miserables" and "Man of LaMancha" will be showcased with such beloved opera choruses as "Va Pensiero" from Verdi's "Nubucco" and the light-hearted "Chorus of the Wedding Guests" from "Lucia di Lammermoor." In addition, a selection titled, "Songs that Lift the Spirits," will celebrate famous drinking songs from both Broadway and opera.
Pianist Beth Palmer of Trumbull, Mark Beyerly on keyboard, Anthony DeQuattro on percussion and Joseph Russo on bass will accompany the choir. Soloists include: soprano, Marlene Tuohy of Fairfield, who has sung in numerous regional, dinner theater and showcase productions; tenor, Gary Harger of Orange, equally at home with opera, operetta, musical theater and the concert stage; and baritone, Edward Pleasant of Stamford, who has performed both nationally and internationally as a baritone soloist and voice-over artist on NPR.
Well into its second decade of music making, MCC continues to reward audiences with its excellent performances of choral masterpieces and new works by leading composers commissioned by the choir. Prepared by its founding director, Carole Ann Maxwell, the ensemble has consistently won critical acclaim for its own concerts as well as its collaborations with the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony and the Wallingford Symphony.
The concert is sponsored in part by ITT, Xerox, UST, CK Witco Corporation and Cannon USA, Inc. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.
Posted On: 04-13-2001 09:04 AM
Volume: 33 Number: 191