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 $10/$5 students). 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.
