Wong to Lead Choir on March 18

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford's College-Community Choir will sing famous Italian, German and French opera selections during its annual concert on Wednesday, March 18.

Students, faculty, staff and community members will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. in the Bromeley Family Theater of Blaisdell Hall. A part of the university’s Spectrum Series, the hour-long program is free and open to the public.

“Usually the community choir has done oratorios and sacred music from Masses and Requiems,” said Dr. Samuel Wong, former assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, who is leading the choir this semester. “This concert is a departure because of the secular and entertaining nature of the pieces with themes of love, betrayal, freedom, captivity, seduction, guilt, yearning and celebration.”

Highlights of the evening include Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and Giacomo Puccini's “Madama Butterfly.”

Carnell Lawson, a business management major from Trainer, will perform as a tenor soloist in Gaetano Donizetti's “Elixir of Love,” and Heather Schena, an English education major from Bradford, will portray Carmen. A tenor solo will also be performed by K. James Evans, dean of student affairs at Pitt-Bradford.

Accompanying on the piano will be Ritsuko Wada, who began the Chamber Music Concert Series in the Olean, N.Y., area in 2001.

“You will hear the music that marries most couples, from Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin’; Beethoven’s achingly beautiful chorus of prisoners as they ponder their captivity and eventual freedom; Puccini’s wistful humming chorus as Cio-Cio-San awaits her American sailor husband’s return; and Verdi’s rousing drinking song, ‘Brindisi,’” Wong said. “The evening will be a taut hour of beauty and merriment performed without intermission.”

The chorus, which is made up of about 40 members from around the region, was founded by Allan Slovenkay and conducted for many years by Dr. Lee Spear, who retired at the end of the fall term.

Wong will be my guest on March 17th's LiveLine.