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For immediate release:
April 8, 2003
Contact: Dean Travalino 914-763-5393, r5fuego@aol.com
WESTCHESTER ORATORIO SOCIETY RETURNS TO RYE
FOR BACH'S ST. JOHN PASSION
The Westchester Oratorio Society concludes its 2002-2003 Season with a return to the magnificent Rye Presbyterian Church for its spring concert, a performance of Bach's St. John Passion. The event will be held on Sunday afternoon, May 4, 2003 at 4 P.M. The Church is located at 882 Boston Post Road, Rye, New York. Harold Rosenbaum, WOS's Artistic Director and conductor, is looking forward to the group's return to Rye Presbyterian, noting that the building's acoustics, beauty and grandeur make it an ideal venue for presenting the intensely moving Bach masterpiece. In keeping with the gospel of its "Evangelist," John, the St. John Passion is shorter and subtler than the St. Matthew Passion, which the Oratorio Society performed last May at the Rye Church in front of a sold-out audience. The St. John Passion has been acclaimed as "powerfully meditative." The Westchester Oratorio Society appears with the Strathmere Ensemble, an all-professional orchestra whose membership comprises many of the finest chamber music instrumentalists in The New York City area. The orchestra is led by Louise Schulman, who herself is a founding member of the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
Five renowned soloists will also be appearing, including David Arnold (Jesus) and tenor, James Archie Worley. Since his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1983, Mr. Arnold has been considered one of America's finest baritones. A protégé of Robert Shaw and a favorite of Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Arnold has performed extensively in the United States and Europe. Mr. Worley, who is well-known to audiences at Caramoor, has a long list of featured appearances with major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the Chinese National Opera Chorus and Orchestra in Beijing. Also appearing are: Douglas Keith, tenor (Evangelist); Virginia Green, soprano; Jeffrey Mandelbaum, countertenor; and Chris Thompson, baritone (Pontius Pilate, Judas). Individually, each has appeared in major venues with the country's premier orchestras, opera companies and choral organizations. For this truly special event, the chorus and soloists will be joined by the young singers of the Canticum Novum Youth Choir, Edie Rosenbaum, founder and director. Labeled "The best amateur chorus in Westchester" by the July 2002 issue of Westchester Magazine, The Westchester Oratorio Society has also received critical acclaim from The New York Times. The group's volunteer singers are primarily from Westchester and Fairfield Counties, and rehearse on Tuesday evenings in Katonah, NY. WOS began its season in November with the Brooklyn Philharmonic in a special appearance before 3000 people at the 12th Annual Interfaith Committee Concert of Remembrance at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, performing the Finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in remembrance of the Holocaust. In January the group performed an all-Schubert program in Bedford. Tickets for Bach's St. John Passion may be purchased in advance by calling 914-763-9389 or through the group's web site www.westchesteroratorio.org (credit cards accepted). General Admission is $20, seniors and students are $15. Limited VIP seating is available for $40, or $65 including a post-concert artist reception at a private home in Rye.
Harold Rosenbaum conducts May 2002 performance of St. Matthew Passion at the Rye Presbyterian Church Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings in Katonah, NY. Auditions for new singers are on-going. For more information, or to audition, call 914-763-9389, or visit the group's web site at www.westchesteroratorio.org
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