Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Performance & Webcast of Verdi's Requiem Heard by More Than 61,000 in First Three Days

As of Monday morning, October 14, the webcast of Verdi's Requiem Mass, performed by CSO Music Director Riccardo Muti, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Chorus, and soprano Tatiana Serjan, mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona, tenor Mario Zeffiri, and bass Ildar Abdrazakov had been heard by more than 61,000 people around the world. More than 22,000 of those viewers watched live via CSO.org/Verdi on Thursday night. In Chicago, more than 6,000 people total heard the performance at Symphony Center, or at two locations where the concert was simulcast-Millennium Park and Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen.

The concert was streamed live around the world on 40 websites, in more than 12 countries-including Italy, Japan, Germany, France, Spain, the UK, Sweden, Austria, Canada and Taiwan, as well as on the CSO's Facebook page. The webcast-a first for the CSO-will remain online at CSO.org/Verdi and RiccardoMutiMusic.com for on-demand viewing for one year.

"We are at thrilled with the results of this project," commented CSO President Deborah F. Rutter. "To bring this beautiful webcast to people around the world, at no charge to them, is part of Maestro Muti's goal to share classical music as broadly as possible. The response has been unanimously positive. We have proven that the nature of social media lends itself beautifully to a webcast like this; to have our network of fans of our great Orchestra share our music with their friends is extremely gratifying. This was such a special night in so many ways, and I'm proud of our Orchestra, Chorus, and of course, our Music Director, as well as the team that produced and promoted the webcast itself."

The one-night-only performance marked the culmination of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's (CSO) celebration of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's bicentennial, which also included four concert performances of Macbeth. Riccardo Muti, CSO music director since 2010, is widely considered to be the greatest living interpreter of Verdi's music.

The performance was simulcast live at two other Chicago locations: Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion, for an audience of roughly 3,500, as well as at Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen, where about 200 attended.

Bank of America is the Global Sponsor of the CSO. Sponsorship of the Music Director and related programs is provided in part by a generous gift from the Zell Family Foundation. Generous support for the Verdi celebration is provided by Matthew and Kay Bucksbaum, Sylvia Neil and Dan Fischel, Jim and Kay Mabie, the Gilchrist Foundation, Julie and Roger Baskes, and Dr. and Mrs. Whitney Addington.

Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg Photography 2011

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