The Oratorio Society of Queens Sings
Mozart's Requiem
at its Annual Spring Concert

Performance to be held at
Queensborough Performing Arts Center,
Sunday May 16

About the Concert

The Queensborough Performing Arts Center at Queensborough Community College is located at 222-05 56th Avenue in Bayside, Queens - one block east of Springfield Boulevard. Parking is free on the main lot adjacent to the theater, which offers easy-access entry.

The Annual Spring Concert of The Oratorio Society of Queens will take place on Sunday, May 16, 2010, beginning at 4:00 pm at the Queensborough Performing Arts Center. Under the leadership of Conductor David Close, the group will perform Mozart’s Requiem, as well as a selection of classics from the world of opera and America's patriotic musical heritage.

The 83-year old Oratorio Society of Queens (OSQ), which boasts over 120 members, will also be joined in the concert by soloists Geraldine McMillian, soprano; Erika Person, mezzo-soprano; Robert Mack, tenor; and Vaughn Fritts, bass-baritone. The singers will be accompanied by The Orchestral Arts Ensemble of Queens, under the direction of Maestro Close.

Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor was composed in Vienna in 1791, during the last year of the composer's life. The Requiem was Mozart's last composition and is one of his most popular and respected works. Left unfinished at the time of his death, it was completed by a number of composers whose contributions scholars still analyze and debate to this day. Despite the mystery surrounding the piece, the Requiem is considered one of Mozart’s masterpieces, performed frequently all over the world.

The second half of the program continues OSQ’s tradition of pairing classic compositions with more recent and popular pieces. The second half will start off with an excerpt from Mozart's final symphonic utterance, his Symphony No. 41 in C Major known as the "Jupiter." We will also share in some good fun in Rossini's always popular aria for mezzo-soprano "Una voce poco fa." The choral selections will continue with African-American spirituals, American folk hymns and patriotic songs: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “Ride the Chariot,” “Ain’-A That Good News!” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and Hall Johnson's "Fi-yer, fi-yer" in a stunning new orchestration by Maestro Close. As always, the concert will end with a patriotic flourish: John Higgins’ arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was adapted for the 100th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.