The New York Virtuoso Singers to Present International Day of Peace Concert

The New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, Conductor and Artistic Director, will present an International Day of Peace concert on Wednesday, September 21 at 7:00 PM at Trinity Church Wall Street, 75 Wall Street in Manhattan. Special guests will be The Canticum Novum Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, Conductor and The Canticum Novum Youth Choir, Edie Rosenbaum, Director.

Celebrating the U.N.'s International Day of Peace, NYVS will perform Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellen Taafe Zwilich's Memorial, a tribute to the Sandy Hook victims which the ensemble commissioned, an a cappella piece called Peace by Mark Kilstofte, with words by Gerard Manley Hopkins and The Peaceable Kingdom by Randall Thompson, who was inspired by the painting of the same title by Edward Hicks (1780-1849).

The concert will conclude with Requiem for the Innocent by Katherine Hoover for choir, soloists, and chamber ensemble. In the words of the composer: "This Requiem was originally written for the 3000 victims of 9/11. Then, in early 2003 the prolonged and intense bombing of Baghdad claimed the lives of tens of thousands. I dedicate this work to the innocent victims of both bombings. Finding Walt Whitman's poetry was a powerful reminder that the tragedies of war and destruction can return; that the human impulse to reach out and help in times of sorrow is universal, and that the great Force that gives life persists and sustains us continually."

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 516-586-3433 or visit nyvirtuoso.org/season.html.

New York Virtuoso Singers concerts are ADA accessible. For MTA transportation information, visit tripplanner.mta.info/MyTrip/ui_web/customplanner/TripPlanner.aspx.

Founded in 1988 by conductor Harold Rosenbaum, The New York Virtuoso Singers has become the country's leading exponent of contemporary choral music. Although the chorus performs music of all periods, its emphasis is on commissioning, performing and recording the music of American composers. The choir appears on over 40 commercial CDs, including releases on Bridge, Albany and Kasp. Their latest release is Virtuoso Choral Works, Volume 1: Works by Hoover, Davies and Lipten on the 4Tay label. More about the CD at www.jamesarts.com/4tay. More about the Virtuoso Singers at www.nyvirtuoso.org/aboutus.htm. Join their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/The-New-York-Virtuoso-Singers/130509011774.

Called "an elite chorus" by the New York Times, The Canticum Novum Singers is now in its 44th season under the direction of its founder, Harold Rosenbaum. The choir has achieved both national and international recognition for its stylistic versatility, vocal blend, and expressive range. The ensemble has presented dozens of World, American, and New York premieres by composers ranging from Handel, J.C. Bach, Fauré, and Bruckner, to Harbison, Berio, Schnittke, Rorem, Schickele and George Benjamin. Visit them at www.canticumnovum.org.