Collegiate Chorale to Perform at Verbier Festival, 7/19-25

By: Jul. 11, 2013
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The Collegiate Chorale will make its sixth appearance at the 20th Anniversary of the Verbier Festival from July 19-25, 2013, in concerts with Charles Dutoit, Christian Zacharias, and Valery Gergiev. The Collegiate Chorale cherishes a rich collaboration with the Verbier Festival since its first appearance at the festival under James Levine in 2005. The Chorale is thrilled to perform at the festival on its 20th anniversary and to celebrate a shared mission for artistic excellence and inter-generational exchange through music.

The Collegiate Chorale at the 2013 Verbier Festival

July 19 at 7:00 PM - Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Lera Auerbach's Verbier Festival commission In Praise of Peace with the Verbier Festival Orchestra and Charles Dutoit, conductor

July 22 at 7:00 PM - Beethoven's Choral Fantasy with the Verbier Festival Orchestra and Charles Dutoit, conductor

July 23 at 7:00 PM - Schubert's Mass in E-flat with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and Christian Zacharias, conductor

July 25 at 7:00 PM - Verdi's Otello (Act I) with Aleksandrs Antonenko, Anna Netrebko, Alexey Markov, and Francesco Demuro, the Verbier Festival Orchestra, and Valery Gergiev, conductor

For more information or to buy tickets, visit http://www.verbierfestival.com/programme-tickets/programme/artist/the-collegiate-chorale.

The Collegiate Chorale recently honored the Verbier Festival at their annual Spring Benefit on April 30 at Carnegie Hall. Martin T. Son Engstroem, founder of the Verbier Festival, was present at the benefit evening to accept the honor for the Verbier Festival. He has been artistic and executive director of the festival since its foundation in 1994. Mr. Engstroem was first an agent for international opera singers and musicians in his native Sweden before moving to Switzerland in 1987. Mr. Engstroem worked at EMI France, the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele and the Paris Opera, and was Vice President of Artists & Repertoire at Deutsche Grammophon where he was directly responsible for the recording projects of many major artists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pierre Boulez, Claudio Abbado, and Maurizio Pollini.

The Collegiate Chorale and the Verbier Festival share a close relationship based on excellence, creativity and innovation in music. These words continue to define the character of the festival: musical encounters between virtuosi from around the world, a showcase of young talent, carefully chosen repertoire and an outstanding natural setting, and providing a truly unique experience. This type of collaboration also exemplifies The Collegiate Chorale's mission to create a powerful, shared experience unifying listeners and musicians of all cultures, backgrounds and ages. Following its successes at the Swiss festival since 2005, The Chorale has become part of the Verbier Festival family, and their concerts are quick to sell out. The Chorale is preparing for its sixth appearance at the festival this summer performing exciting repertoire under the batons of Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, and Christian Zacharias.

The Verbier Festival was created in 1994 out of an ambitious idea: to bring the greatest classical musicians in the world, and the best young musicians together in a Swiss mountain ski resort, and to produce an oasis of artistic activity during 17 days each summer. It did not take long before the idea caught on, and the Verbier Festival has gone from strength to strength, adding activities each year and attracting both artists and audiences. As they celebrate their 20thanniversary, it is fair to say that the Verbier Festival has become one of the best classical music festivals in the world.

The 20th Anniversary Festival offers a particularly eclectic program with 60 concerts providing musical delights for all tastes, from symphonic concerts to piano recitals, and from opera to chamber music to world music, with artists such as Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel, Nathalie Dessay, Evgeny Kissin, and Grigory Sokolov, among many others. For the full programming of the Verbier Festival 20th season from July 19 to August 5, please visit www.verbierfestival.com.

The mission of The Collegiate Chorale, led by Music Director James Bagwell, is to enrich its audiences through innovative programming and exceptional performances of a broad range of vocal music featuring a premier choral ensemble. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert Shaw, The Chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers, and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as for commissions and premieres of new works by today's most exciting creative artists. The many guest artists with whom The Chorale has performed in recent years include: Stephanie Blythe, Victoria Clark, Nathan Gunn, Thomas Hampson, Angela Meade, Kelli O'Hara, Eric Owens, Rene Papé, Bryn Terfel and Deborah Voigt. Last season's highlights included the critically acclaimed concert presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado at Carnegie Hall and a concert tour with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to The Chorale's presentations, the chorus is frequently engaged by the American Symphony Orchestra, and will be featured in Il Prigioniero with the New York Philharmonic in June.

For more information, visit www.collegiatechorale.org.

 

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