From Dean Travalino 914-763-5393
Bedford, NY

On Wednesday, April 14, the diverse worlds of the acclaimed and energetic choral conductor, Harold Rosenbaum, a South Salem resident, will come together as he leads over 250 singers, including the 90 voices of the Westchester Oratorio Society, in a performance of the Verdi Requiem at Carnegie Hall. For the performance of this dramatic and demanding choral masterpiece, Mr. Rosenbaum will be conducting the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Under the artistic vision of Music Director, Robert Spano, the Philharmonic, which is now in its 50th Anniversary season, has emerged as one of the nation's premier music ensembles.

An outstanding cast of soloists is led by Bass-Baritone, John Relyea, winner this year of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award, and includes Soprano, Gale Limansky, Robynne Redmon, Mezzo-Soprano and Gerard Powers, Tenor. Also featured will be Mr. Rosenbaum's critically acclaimed NYC chamber choirs, the New York Virtuoso Singers and the Canticum Novum Singers, considered to be two of the finest chamber choirs in the country. The northern Westchester-based oratorio society, which Mr. Rosenbaum leads as Artistic Director, will join over 80 of his student singers from the University at Buffalo, as well as the 19-member Canticum Novum Youth Choir. The ever-busy Mr. Rosenbaum splits his time weekly, working in Buffalo, Westchester and New York City, and also performs nationally and internationally. While he is a major collaborator with leading orchestras, and his choruses have appeared several times at Carnegie Hall, this will be Mr. Rosenbaum's conducting debut with the Philharmonic. Fiercely independent and passionately patriotic, Verdi wrote the Requiem "to do honor as best I can to that Great One whom I so much admired, the poet Alessandro Manzoni, who did as much in his way to promote the cause of Italian unification as all the soldiers and statesmen did in theirs." Verdi's Requiem, which Brahms said "could be done only by a genius," stands as a sublime tribute to the greatness of both Manzoni and Verdi. Fans continually debate the question, "is it a sacred work or an opera in disguise?"

Rosenbaum, who is an associate professor of music at UB, and taught at Queens College for 25 years and at the Juilliard School, is excited for his students and proud of their hard work. "Every artist's dream is to perform in Carnegie Hall," he notes. "This is a singular opportunity for the UB students and the youth choir to perform there, with its rich history, fabulous acoustics and reputation as the foremost concert hall in the country, if not the world," says Rosenbaum, noting that the students will perform with professional, well-established opera singers, as well as a highly accomplished orchestra.

UB is playing the occasion up, with an alumni reception at Carnegie, hosted by the President on concert night. The student singers have been working with the area businesses to raise funds for their trip. For example, in October, they sold and delivered "candy-grams" throughout the campus with candy donated by Ekerd and Tops. Earlier this month the local Pizzeria Uno set aside a portion of their checks for the effort. For their stay in the New York area, the students will be staying at the homes of oratorio society members.

Mr. Rosenbaum has created a commissioning program for young composers, and has premiered more than 100 works, including compositions by Ravel (in Paris), Schnittke, Henze, Berio and Perle. Other career highlights include more than a dozen European tours, among them the Madeira Bach Festival in Portugal and festivals in England and Italy.

His choirs have performed numerous times in Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series, and have appeared on "The David Letterman Show," at the Bard and the Tanglewood Festivals and in concerts with such wide-ranging performers as James Galway, Tony Randall, Tony Bennett, Licia Albanese, Marianne Faithful, Leonard Slatkin, the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Ilana Vered, Ned Rorem and many others.

The performance begins at 8:00 P.M. Ticket prices for the Requiem begin at $20, and can be purchased in advance from CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or online at www.carnegiehall.org. They can also be purchased at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 57th Street and 7th Avenue. For more information visit Mr. Rosenbaum's Web Site.