Hudson Chorale to Hold Inaugural Concert

On Sunday, January 23, 2011, the new 90-voice Hudson Chorale will take the stage for the first time, featuring the Brahms Requiem for two pianos as the centerpiece of its premiere concert entitled, “Heaven’s Harmony.” The chorus, now the largest vocal ensemble in Westchester and surrounding counties, was formed when two long-standing local choruses, the Choral Arts Society and the Westchester Concert Singers, merged last July. The concert will take place at the Horace Greeley High School, 70 Roaring Brook Road, Chappaqua, NY at 4:00 pm.

Brahms dedicated his powerful Requiem to the whole of humanity, and in the words of his friend, Clara Schumann, “It is a truly tremendous piece of art which moves the entire being in a way little else does.” The concert will also include Eric Helmuth’s joyous and celebratory Farther Sail, a work based on the poetry of Walt Whitman, Ned Rorem’s Love Alone, and the beautiful, lush Magnificat from Franz Liszt’s Dante Symphony. Michael Conley, Music Director, will be conducting. Mr. Conley, the former conductor of the Choral Arts Society, is a celebrated composer, pianist, organist and singer as well as conductor and has high expectations for this new group, the size of which will permit a broader range of repertoire and greater depth of professionalism and musicianship. Both he and the chorus members are excited about the inaugural program and look forward to sharing it with the public.

For anyone wishing to attend this event, tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling (914-462-3212) or through the website: www.hudsonchorale.org. Horace Greeley High School has ample parking and is handicap accessible.