Rees, Kaye, Burton & More Star in 5/22 'Romance' Benefit

On Monday, May 22, The Collegiate Chorale will present A Swell Night for Romance, a benefit evening starring Tony Award-winners Roger Rees, Judy Kaye and more at The Supper Club (240 West 47th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue).

"The performance will be a madcap musical romp, featuring songs of the 20s, 30s and 40s by Noel Coward, Cole Porter, the Gershwins and Irving Berlin," according to press notes. In addition to Rees (A Man of No Importance, ...Nicholas Nickelby) and Kaye (Souvenir, The Phantom of the Opera), it will star Carol Woods (Chicago, Follies), Robert Mack, Jan Maxwell (Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and Kate Burton (The Constant Wife, Hedda Gabler).

Proceeds from this event will support The Collegiate Chorale's performances and education programs in New York. Cocktails and a light supper begin the evening at 6:30 pm. The musical program begins at 8:00 p.m. with a live auction led by Roger Rees at 9:00 p.m.

Robert Bass, Music Director of The Collegiate Chorale, conducts a wide repertoire including choral works and operas, and has initiated numerous commissions during his tenure. The operas-in-concert at Carnegie Hall have included the New York premieres of Richard Strauss' Friedenstag, Schubert's Fierrabras and Respighi's La fiamma, as well as Verdi's La forza del destino, Nabucco, Giovanna d'Arco (Joan of Arc) and Macbeth, Ponchielli's La Gioconda and Weber's Oberon.

The Collegiate Chorale has been a prominent force in the musical life of New York City for more than sixty years. Founded in 1941 by Robert Shaw, the Chorale has established a national reputation through its commitment not only to the traditional choral repertoire but also to American music, rarely heard operas-in-concert, and to new works - many of them commissions or premieres - by such leading composers as Barber, Bolcom, Britten, Copland, Dvorak, and Sessions. Three summers ago, the Chorale embarked on its first European tour, performing in Prague and Vienna. This coming summer the Chorale returns to the Verbier Festival for the second year at the invitation of conductor James Levine.

Single tickets are $250, $500, $1000, and festive attire is recommended. For further information, call Susan Shine or Megan Powers at 917-322-2140, or visit www.collegiatechorale.org.

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