On
Monday, December 8, 2008, The Collegiate Chorale presented an Opening
Night Benefit at Carnegie Hall in memory of the late Chorale director
Robert Bass. The evening began at 7:00 p.m. with a performance
of the Verdi Requiem led by conductor Daniele Callegari, starring
soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, tenor
Ramón Vargas, and bass Ain Anger. Following the concert,
Mr. Callegari and all four soloists joined the guests in the Rohatyn
Room for a benefit dinner.
The Benefit for The Collegiate Chorale supports its New York Season
and education programs for New York City schools.
The Collegiate Chorale, among New York's foremost vocal ensembles,
has added to the richness of the City's cultural fabric for
more than 65 years. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert
Shaw, The Chorale has achieved national and international prominence
under the leadership of Music Director Robert Bass. 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 commissions and premieres
of new works by today's most exciting creative artists. In
the Summer of 2007, The Chorale performed for the third consecutive
season at Switzerland's Verbier Music Festival, where Mr. Bass
conducted the ensemble in Orff's Carmina Burana. In
July 2008, The Chorale toured with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
under Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem.
