NEWS RELEASE
Date: March 13, 2019 Contact: Lexi Locke
For Immediate Release Phone: 417.864.6683
Photos Available Upon Request Cell: 417.860.9690
lexi@springfieldmosymphony.org
Springfield Symphony to feature combined choirs of local universities
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Symphony is thrilled to collaborate with the combined choruses from College of the Ozarks, Drury, Evangel and Missouri State Universities; with guest artists Jennifer Forni, Nicole Birkland, Limmie Pulliam and Todd Payne on Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. This classical concert, Is There Life After Death?, will take place on Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts (525 S. John Q. Hammons Pkwy).
“Giuseppe Verdi, or, as I like to think of him, Joe Green, was, by all accounts, a fairly normal guy,” stated Kyle Wiley Pickett, music director/conductor for the Springfield Symphony. “He was born to a family of moderate means, and he did what many of us do: saved up to buy a house, spent time tending his gardens and putting additions onto his home, and farming the land he owned around his estate. Verdi enjoyed his success as a composer and did at times use his music to express his emotions, but he seems to have found a balance that eludes many of our most famous artists,” Pickett explained. “He didn’t exactly conform to the tortured artist stereotype we see in so many of his peers. That being said, Verdi’s Requiem is a towering artistic achievement of tremendous emotional intensity. ”
“The opening of [Messa da Requiem’s] violent and furious “Dies Irae” (“Day of Wrath”) is one of the most famous moments in orchestral music history,” exuded Pickett. “It seethes with existential anxiety and terror, but also offers serene beauty and sublime melodies. There is no question that Verdi’s Requiem reveals a deeply thinking and feeling soul, as well as an immense musical talent. With the choir and orchestra operating at full tilt, the Verdi Requiem will blow the roof off the hall in its biggest and most dramatic moments, and hearing it live is nothing short of thrilling.”
Pickett will deliver a pre-concert talk from the stage at 6:30 p.m. and pre-concert music will begin at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall box office, and can be purchased by calling (417) 836-7678 or online at www.missouristatetix.com. Ticket prices range from $10 – $40 and discounts are available for students and seniors.
Join Pickett at our free event, Behind the Baton, at the Springfield Art Museum on Thursday, March 21 (1111 E. Brookside Dr) for the opportunity to hear Pickett talk about the music that will be performed at the March concert. The meet & greet begins at 5:15 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:45 p.m.
Pickett is available for any interviews or questions. Please feel free to email him at kwpickett@gmail.com or call at (417) 837-9422. The concert is being sponsored by Reliable Superstore (Presenting Sponsor), Foster Hospitality, Bryan Properties and KY3.
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and an Equal Opportunity Employer. Additional funding for all Springfield Symphony Orchestra programming is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, visit www.springfieldmosymphony.org or www.facebook.com/springfieldsymphony.
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