March 2, 2004
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, Mass.- The Amherst College Choral Society and Orchestra will present Giuseppe Verdi's timeless masterpiece, the "Requiem" on Sunday, March 7, at 3 p.m. in Buckley Recital Hall in the Arms Music Center on the Amherst College campus. Mallorie Chernin, director of the choral music program at Amherst, will direct the chorus; Mark Lane Swanson, director of instrumental music, will lead the orchestra.
Professional guest soloists from the New York City Opera and elsewhere include Stephanie Dawn Johnson, soprano; Kimberly Gratland James, mezzo-soprano; Paul Mow, tenor; and Craig Phillips, bass-baritone. Mark Lane Swanson will conduct.
Dedicated to the memory of the Italian literary giant Alessandro Manzoni-who along with Verdi was beloved as an artistic hero of the 19th-century Italian reunification movement, the Risorgimento-the operatic "Requiem" is a moving 80-minute tribute to the triumph of the human spirit.
General admission for performance is $5; Amherst College students will be admitted free of charge with college identification. Advance reservations (which are highly recommended) may be made by telephoning the Amherst College Music Department Concert Office at 413/542-2195 or by e-mailing concerts@amherst.edu. Unclaimed tickets will be released beginning at 2:45 p.m. on the day of the concert.
###