University of Chicago Department of Music Performs 19th-century German and Italian Operatic Masterpieces with International Guest Soloists at Annual Cathy Heifetz Memorial Concerts

The University of Chicago Department of Music concludes its 2010-2011 Season with “Opera Treasures” on Saturday, May 28 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, May 29 at 3:00 pm in Mandel Hall located at 1131 E. 57th Street in Hyde Park. The University Symphony Orchestra, University Chorus, Motet Choir will showcase German and Italian operatic masterpieces of the 19th century, including: excerpts from Carl Maria von Weber’s supernatural Der Freischütz and Richard Wagner’s mythic Der fliegende Holländer; a concert suite from Richard Strauss’ bittersweet comic opera Der Rosenkavalier; and selections from Ruggero Leoncavallo’s dramatic Pagliacci, Giacomo Puccini’s poignant Madame Butterfly, and Verdi’s theatrical Macbeth and Don Carlo. Admission is free (suggested donations). Barbara Schubert conducts the University Symphony and combined choirs (James Kallembach, director).

The University Symphony Orchestra, University Chorus, Motet Choir are honored to share the stage with internationally acclaimed soprano Winifred Faix Brown, former guest artist of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, as well as soloist with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and many regional philharmonics. Mezzo-soprano Jessye Wright, who was among just four mezzos earning distinction as an “Upwardly Musical Artist on the Move” in Symphony Magazine’s Guide to Emerging Artists, will also be featured on the evening’s program.

The annual Cathy Heifetz Memorial Concerts present a special opportunity for the largest Department of Music Performance Program ensembles -- University Symphony Orchestra and combined choirs -- to collaborate on major works befitting the culmination of each busy concert season at the University. Past concert repertoire has included: Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and more. With an impressive roster of international guest soloists, the highly anticipated performances are some of the best-loved events in Hyde Park for audiences and musicians alike.

QUICK FACTS

What: University Symphony Orchestra, University Chorus, Motet Choir
2011 Annual Cathy Heifetz Memorial Concerts
Barbara Schubert, Music Director and Conductor
James Kallembach, Director of Choral Activities
Winifred Faix Brown and Jessye Wright, guest soloists

Excerpts from Weber’s Der Freischütz and Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer
A concert suite from Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier
Selections from Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, and Verdi’s Macbeth and Don Carlo

When: Saturday, May 28, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 29, 2010 at 3:00 PM

Where: Mandel Hall
1131 E. 57th St., on the University of Chicago campus

Admission: Free; Donations requested at the door.

Event Hotline: 773.702.8069 • music.uchicago.edu

Persons who require assistance should call in advance: 773.702.8484.

Positioned at the heart of a world-renowned academic institution, the Department of Music offers degrees in fields of musical scholarship and composition and sponsors a lively and diverse performance program that involves 13 student performance ensembles in over 100 concerts a year. Five ensembles-in-residence, the including Grammy-award winning eighth blackbird and Pacifica Quartet, and numerous professional concerts offered by University of Chicago Presents further enhance the vibrant musical life on campus.

University of Chicago Music Department
1010 East 59th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
Rashida Black
Director of Public Relations
773.702.3427
rashida@uchicago.edu

This release was published on openPR.