"Joy" is what Westchester Oratorio Society choristers experienced, and brought to listeners, on Sunday afternoon, June 10th, in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the celebrated "Choral Symphony," with the Manhattan Philharmonic, led by Peter Tiboris, at Carnegie Hall, in New York City. WOS was one of several choruses invited to participate in this astounding event, in which over 200 voices soared triumphantly in the chorale finale (more popularly known as the Ode to Joy) of Beethoven's masterwork, in the second half of a sold-out performance that left many turned away at the box office.

The first half of the program featured the U.S. premiere of a Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra by Mikis Theodorakis, one of Greece's greatest composers, performed by cellist Zuill Bailey and the Manhattan Philharmonic. This beautiful work, received with great enthusiasm, features nine sections named for, and inspired by, nine muses: Euterpe (music and lyric poetry), Erato (love poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Urania (astronomy), Terpsichore (dancing and choral song), Polymnia (mimic art), and Thalia (comedy). In attendance were many honored guests, including Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Dr. Tiboris selected Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to conclude the program because it was Theodorakis' youthful inspiration for becoming a composer. The choral finale, sung in German, is based on a poem by Schiller that celebrates the triumph of brotherhood and goodness over evil - a message taken to heart by Theodorakis, who is celebrated for his contributions to freedom and human rights, particularly during the 1967-1974 dictatorship in Greece. In 1996, Theodorakis was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur. In 2000, he was an official Candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Audiences are also likely to know the work of Theodorakis through his famed film scores for Zorba the Greek, Z, and Serpico.

In addition to the Westchester Oratorio Society, directed by its artistic director, Harold Rosenbaum, participating choristers included members of the Windsong Southland Chorale (California), the Riverside Choral Society (New York), and the University at Buffalo Chorus (State University of New York). The featured soloists were soprano Marianna Rigaki, mezzo-soprano Angelica Cathariou, tenor Dorji Ciren, and bass-baritone Ricardo Herrera.

WOS Board member, Dean Travalino, was pleased with the evening's finances, as well as its beauty. "The concerts we do locally are very expensive to produce, with professional soloists and our own professional orchestra. The fees we earn for appearances like Carnegie Hall and last year's concert with the Brooklyn Philharmonic at BAM help a lot in meeting the bottom line," he said. "It's the professionalism of our amateur singers, and Harold's reputation for delivering the final product that make these appearances possible for a regional chorus like ours," he added.

Though the season is over, many of the oratorio society's singers will be joining Harold Rosenbaum and his Canticum Novum Singers this summer in a concert tour of Italy and France. Still others will be attending the group's series of four summer sings at Northern Westchester Center for the Arts on Wednesday evenings, beginning July 18.

The Westchester Oratorio Society rehearses on Tuesday evenings at Katonah United Methodist Church, located at the intersection of Bedford/Woodsbridge Road and Edgemont in Katonah, NY.

Those interested in auditioning may call 914-763-3453. For more information about the group, go to its web site at westchesteroratorio.org

Contacts:

Harold Rosenbaum 914-763-3453

Liz McDonald (Board of Directors) 914-763-8740