CHESTERTOWN, MD—In one of the largest and most ambitious musical undertakings in Washington College history, the WC Chorus, WC Chamber Singers and WC String Orchestra will perform Gabriel Fauré’s “Requiem” on Friday, April 26.  The concert, which will also include performances by soloists and each individual group, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Decker Theatre of the Gibson Center for the Arts. It is free and open the public.

Fauré once described his famous Requiem as “a lullaby of death.” In performing the piece, the Washington College Chorus, directed by Doug Byerly, will be joined by members of the Chester River Chorale and by professional soloists Mary Anne Barcellona (soprano) and Matthew Henry Frieswyk (baritone). More than 50 voices and 23 instrumentalists will bring the composition to life. 

In addition to her role in the Requiem, soprano Barcellona will perform arias by Tosti and Bizet.

Individually, the Chamber Singers, also directed by Byerly, will perform “The Neighbor’s Chorus” from Jacques Offenbach’s La Jolie Parfumeuse, and “Quick, We Have But a Minute” by Charles Villiers Stanford. The String Orchestra, directed by Kimberly McCollum, will present an arrangement of the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 15 in G Major.  

This concert will serve as a fundraiser for the 12@ Hotchkiss Noon Hour Concert Series, the Music Department’s monthly showcase of acclaimed musicians from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. The Music Department relies solely on the generosity of private funders and the goodwill of its performers to support this series. Donations in any amount will be appreciated.