THE MIDCOAST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA will perform with Oratorio Choral and Vox Nova Chamber Choir on Sunday in Topsham.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra will perform Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass (Messa da Requiem) under the direction of Rohan Smith in collaboration with the Oratorio Chorale and Vox Nova Chamber Choir. Concerts will take place Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Franco Center in Lewiston and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Orion Performing Arts Center in Topsham.
Soloists will join 150 Maine musicians on stage in Topsham and Lewiston in a work rarely performed outside major metropolitan areas. The Verdi Requiem was last offered in Maine by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra in 2003. In 2016, the work will be presented nationally by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony and the Los Angeles
Master Chorale.
Soloists for the Requiem Mass are Rachele Schmiege, soprano; Rebecca Ringle, alto; Kevin Ray, tenor; and Gustav Andreassen, bass.
Conductor and violinist Rohan Smith is in his 13th season as music director of the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra. He has led the MSO in performances of a wide range of works from the Classical era through major works of the twentieth century. He is also orchestra director in the music department at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, where he directs the symphony orchestra and the chamber orchestra. As an orchestral violinist based in New York, Rohan Smith performed regularly with the American Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, the New Orchestra of Westchester and on Broadway.
Now in its fifth decade, the Oratorio Chorale is a nonprofit organization of around 100 auditioned singers under the direction of Emily Isaacson. The Chorale is committed to advancing choral music through performances, educational and community outreach and collaborations. The Chorale’s 2015–16 season has included five concert programs with thirteen performances. A graduate of Williams College, Isaacson holds masters degrees from Edinburgh University and the University of Oregon and a doctorate in musical arts in choral conducting and literature from the University of Illinois.
Vox Nova Chamber Choir, founded in 2009 on the campus of Bowdoin College, features singers from midcoast, southern, central, and northern Maine. A choir of 32–38 voices, Vox Nova seeks to champion the expansive body of modern and contemporary choral repertoire and to expose its audiences to innovative performance of new vocal music.
Shannon M. Chase is director of Vox Nova Chamber Choir and music associate in voice at Colby College. Dr. Chase holds a Ph.D. in music from Florida State University, a master of music degree in choral conducting, and a bachelor of music in music education. A mezzosoprano, Ms. Chase has performed as a recitalist and soloist and has appeared in opera and musical theater productions.
Tickets are $20 for adults and free for students, including college students with ID. Tickets, including student tickets, are available for purchase through Midcoast Symphony at MidcoastSymphony.org and (207) 846-5378 or through Oratorio Chorale via Brown Paper Tickets at brownpapertickets.com/profile/ 1143574 or by phone at 1- 800-838-3006. Purchasing tickets in advance is strongly recommended. Free student tickets must be obtained in advance. Tickets are also available at Gulf of Maine Books, Brunswick; Now You’re Cooking, Bath; and Franco Center, Lewiston.
• Tickets for Verdi’s Requiem are $20 for adults and free for students, including college students with ID. Tickets, including student tickets, are available for purchase through Midcoast Symphony at MidcoastSymphony.org and (207) 846-5378 or through Oratorio Chorale via Brown Paper Tickets at brownpapertickets.com/profile/1143574 or by phone at 1-800-838-3006.
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