Several Choirs from Virginia Commonwealth University, Longwood University, American University, University of Virginia, Catholic University and Virginia State University combine to render the 20th Anniversary performance of the “Defiant Requiem” conducted by Murry Sidlin at The Music Center at Strathmore.
(PHOTO: Mark Rulison introduces longtime friend and colleague Maestro Murry Sidlin to the combined choirs at the first rehearsal in North Bethesda.)
by Patrick D. McCoy
The “Defiant Requiem” will mark its 20th anniversary with an unforgettable performance on Wednesday, April 20, 2022-7:30 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. Reflecting the current pandemic times that we are living in, Maestro Murry Sidlin will conduct the masked choirs of Virginia Commonwealth University, Longwood University, American University, University of Virginia, Catholic University, The Verdi Choir and Virginia State University with the Orchestra of Terezín Remembrance. The soloists: soprano Jennifer Check, mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero, tenor Cooper Nolan and bass-baritone Nathan Stark.
This particular setting of this beloved masterwork combines Verdi’s music with video and narration to tell the story of the Jewish prisoners in the Thereisenstadt Concentration Camp. It is a truly a testament to the human spirit how this work was performed while experiencing the highest depths of human degradation. Conductor Rafael Schächter told the choir: “We will sing to Nazis what we cannot say to them.”
For more about the Wednesday night performance and tickets: CLICK HERE