STATE COLLEGE — To close its 67th season, the State College Choral Society, under the direction of Dr. Russell Shelley, will present “Remembrance” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10, at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center at Penn State University’s main campus.
The centerpiece of the program will be the Pennsylvania premiere of Thomas Beveridge’s “Yizkor Requiem: A Quest for Spiritual Roots.” Completed in 1994, this work illustrates musically the common themes in the memorial services of both the Jewish and Catholic faiths. Beveridge describes his work as a “sacred bridge” between the two rituals, with the title of the work reflecting the first words of the Yizkor service and the requiem mass.
The program will also include two familiar works, Felix Mendelssohn’s “Hear My Prayer” and Johannes Brahms’ “Alto Rhapsody.”
The Choral Society will be joined by tenor/cantor Benjamin Warschawski, soprano Laura Choi Stuart and mezzo- soprano Heather Johnson, as well as a chamber orchestra. Beveridge will present a free pre-concert lecture at 3 p.m.
Warschawski has been recognized worldwide for his extraordinary talents in both operatic and cantorial realms. His ability to bring polished, classical style to his cantorial singing and rich, soulful emotion to the operatic stage has prompted many to dub him “this generation’s Richard Tucker.” He has thrilled audiences worldwide in more than 20 leading operatic tenor roles, and he currently holds the position of chief cantor at the prestigious Ezra Habonim/The Niles Township Congregation in Chicago.
Stuart is at home on the operatic, concert and recital stage. She has performed with Annapolis Opera, Opera North, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, Berkshire Opera Company and the Washington Savoyards. She was born in Germany and grew up in Carlisle, and has performed extensively in concert and chamber settings, both in traditional repertoire as well as in progressive works.
Johnson has received critical acclaim for her work on both the opera and concert stage. She made her Metropolitan Opera company debut in the 2011 Summer Recital Series, then returned in the 2012-13 season making her house debut as a flower maiden in “Parsifal.” During the 2013-14 season, Johnson returned to the Met for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and sang the title role in Boston Lyric Opera’s new production of Jack Beeson’s “Lizzie Borden,” which she also performed at Tanglewood. She recently sang the role of Jo in Mark Adamo’s “Little Women” at Madison Opera in February.
Beveridge has had a distinguished career in music and has been recognized for his multifaceted abilities as a singer, oboist, keyboard player, composer, arranger, teacher and conductor. He attended Harvard College and did vocal study at the Longy School of Music. He also studied composition and conducting in France with Nadia Boulanger. He is a prolific composer and arranger, and many of this more than 700 compositions and arrangements have been published.
Beveridge has received distinguished commissions from Harvard University, Harvard Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary and more, and his works have been recorded on numerous labels. He currently is the artistic director of the New Dominion Chorale, artistic director of the National Men’s Chorus and director of music at Western Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.
This performance has been co-sponsored by Mimi Barash Coppersmith and Barbara R. Palmer, with additional support from the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Centre County Board of Commissioners.
The State College Choral Society is one of the largest and most-established community arts organizations in Centre County. From its inception in 1949 as a small singing group performing Bach choruses, the ensemble has grown to nearly 140 volunteer members who perform in two to five classical choral concerts each performance season.
Tickets are available at the door, online at www.scchoralsociety.org or by calling (814) 404-9223.
