Verdi's Requiem Marks 50th Anniversary of the Columbus Symphony Chorus
By: Gabrielle Sierra Feb. 22, 2011
Music Director Jean-Marie Zeitouni will lead the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem. The concert marks the 50th anniversary of the Columbus Symphony Chorus, its 130 volunteer members currently under the direction of Chorus Master Ronald J. Jenkins. The concert will also feature soprano Leah Crocetto, mezzo Elizabeth Bishop, tenor Michael Fabiano, and baritone Jake Gardner. WOSU's Christopher Purdy will hold a free, pre-concert lecture about the piece for ticket holders one hour prior to each performance on the fourth floor of the Ohio Theatre's Galbreath Pavilion.
Jean-Marie has emerged as one of Canada's brightest young conductors with an eloquent yet fiery style, in repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music. On October 5, 2010, he was installed as the Columbus Symphony's music director, and will lead the artistic direction of the organization for the next four years.
Crocetto is a first-year Adler fellow with the San Francisco Opera and a grand prize winner of the 2010 Metropolitan National Council Auditions. Already recognized for the beauty of her singing, she was also the winner of the Spanish and People's Choice awards at the José Iturbi International Music Competition and winner of the Bel Canto Foundation competition. Crocetto holds degrees from Siena Heights University in acting performance and the Moody Bible Institute in vocal studies. She is a former member of the Sarasota Opera Apprentice Artists Program and the San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program.About Mezzo-Soprano Elizabeth Bishop
American mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Bishop has been praised by Opera News for her "gorgeous voice" and is in equal demand for both opera and concert performances across the country. With a "burgundy mezzo-soprano" the Washington Post describes as "a rich well of color and emotion," audiences and critics alike recognize her as one of this country's predominant singing actresses. In 2010-11, Bishop returns to Washington Concert Opera and the Pittsburgh Opera. Her 2009-10 season engagements included appearing as Second Norn in Götterdämmerung, Meg Page in Falstaff, and Gertrude in Hamlet for Washington National Opera; Amneris in Aida with the Atlanta Opera; as soloist in Verdi's Requiem with the Utah and New Jersey symphonies; Adalgisa in Norma at the Chautauqua Institution; and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. About Tenor Michael Fabiano
American tenor Michael Fabiano is establishing himself as one of the major young talents in the world today. A first-prize winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, he is prominently featured in The Audition, the recently released documentary produced by the Metropolitan Opera. Fabiano has also been noted with success in many important Vocal Competitions. Most recently, he was awarded the Grand Prize from the Gerda Lissner Foundation. He was also the first prize winner in the 2008 Opera Index Awards, the first prize winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the first place winner in the 2007 Loren Zachary Competition, the recipient of a 2007 George London Foundation Encouragement Award to a Tenor, a 2007 Sarah Tucker Study Grant, first prize winner of the 2006 Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition, the José Carreras Prize for the Best Tenor in the 2006 Julián Gayarre Competition in Pomplona, Spain, and the Grand Prize recipient of the 2005 Florida Grand Opera Competition Junior Division. About Baritone Jake Gardner
Boasting a career which includes performances with major opera companies and orchestras throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, bass-baritone Jake Gardner remains one of the opera world's most sought-after singing actors. Noted North American engagements from the past few seasons include Betto in Gianni Schicchi and Hortensio in La Fille du Régiment with San Francisco Opera, Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos and Scarpia in a concert version of Tosca with Boston Lyric Opera, DeBritigny in Manon for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly for Florida Grand Opera, Baron Zehta in The Merry Widow with Los Angeles Opera, Jupiter in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld at Glimmerglass Opera, Horace Tabor in Central City Opera's The Ballad of Baby Doe, Sharpless in Renata Scotto's production of Madama Butterfly with Palm Beach Opera, and multiple appearances with Hawaii Opera Theatre, including Wotan in Die Walküre, Bartolo in IL Barbiere di Siviglia, Fredrik in Sondheim's A Little Night Music, Michele and Gianni Schicchi in Il Tritticoand Scarpia in Tosca. Mr. Gardner also sang Sharpless with Opera Cleveland and New York City Opera, and toured in Japan as Gideon with New York City Opera's production of Little Women. About Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (1813-1901)
Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, and one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. Mainly composing operas, his masterworks still dominate the standard repertoire a century and a half after their composition. In 1869, Verdi was asked to compose a section for a requiem mass in memory of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, and proposed that this requiem should be a collection of sections composed by other Italian contemporaries of Rossini. The requiem was compiled and completed, but cancelled at the last minute and was not performed in Verdi's lifetime. Verdi blamed this on the lack of enthusiasm for the project by the intended conductor, Angelo Mariani, who had been a long-time friend. The episode led to a permanent break in their personal relations. Five years later, Verdi reworked his "Libera Me" section of the Rossini Requiem and made it a part of his Requiem mass, honoring the famous novelist and poet Alessandro Manzoni, who died in 1873. The complete Requiem was first performed at the San Marco cathedral in Milan on May 22, 1874. www.columbussymphony.com
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