Dona Nobis Pacem 1968-2018. Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, Spirituals

NYC Performance of Beethoven Mass, Dedicated to Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy

On Sunday, June 10th, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. at the St. Anthony of Padua Church 155 Sullivan Street, “Soho,” New York, NY, the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus will perform “Dona Nobis Pacem 1968-2018,” including Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Afro-American Spirituals. The performance will feature Sarah Abigail Griffiths, soprano; Linda Childs, alto; Gregory Hopkins, tenor; Paul An, bass and John Sigerson, conductor. Gregory Hopkins is also the director of the Harlem Opera Theater.

Recently, the Chorus participated in a musical commemoration in New York City of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1968, two great American leaders Martin Luther King, and Robert F. Kennedy were felled by assassins’ bullets. Now, that 50 years has passed, it is time to revive Ludwig van Beethoven’s music. Beethoven once said that if his music were properly understood, “warfare in and among nations would become an impossibility.”
In June 2017 the chorus performed at Carnegie Hall as part of a Centennial Tribute to Sylvia Olden Lee, the first Afro-American opera coach to be employed at the NY Metropolitan Opera. At that performance, the Chorus sang spirituals including “Soon I Will Be Done” and “Go Down Moses,” in choral, art song settings. While there were many soloists performing, including the great bass-baritone Simon Estes, the 150-person chorus was a high point that surprised the audience with their clarity of singing and togetherness.
The chorus is committed to creating a renaissance in the United States based on principles of Classical Composition. In music this means Italian bel canto placement of the voice at the proper scientific tuning, as advocated by Giuseppe Verdi of Middle C = 256 Hz (“A” no higher than 432 Hz).

The chorus is also committed to the performance of African-American Spirituals in keeping with the tradition of Hall Johnson, H.T. Burleigh and many others, as part of the Classical tradition, and an important American contribution to great music.

Admission: $40 reserved seating, $20 general admission, $10 students and seniors. For tickets call 646-509-5451 or visit www.bit.ly/pax2018