The Rockingham Choral Society will perform two spring concerts on Saturday, May 14 at 8:00pm at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston and on Sunday, May 15 at 3:30pm at Christ Church Episcopal in Exeter. The concerts will feature Mozart’s Requiem sung by more than 90 voices, soloists, and accompanied by a full orchestra. Also on the program are selections from Mozart’s Benedictus sit Deus.
Mozart began writing his now-famed Requiem in the fall of 1791, a year that saw some of the master’s greatest compositions such as The Magic Flute, his clarinet concerto, and his final string quartets. Mozart fell ill while writing the Requiem and within a few weeks was bed-ridden. He realized, on some level, he was writing music for his own death, which would come on December 5. Mozart was not able to finish Requiem and it was later completed by his student, Franz Xavier Süssmayr, who fleshed out unfinished sketches and repurposed musical material.
“This work has touched many musicians and audiences over the last 230 years. Its haunting and thrilling choruses have shaped the dramatic musical backdrops for countless famous films and other media,” said Rockingham Choral Society conductor Dr. Alex T. Favazza, Jr. “In the last two years, and even now, we have been made to wrestle with death and loss. Mozart’s Requiem gives the listener a chance to leave the rest of the world at the door and enter a dramatic journey from darkness to ‘light perpetual.’ ”
Since 1957, the Rockingham Choral Society has expanded and enhanced cultural experiences by performing choral masterpieces and adhering to the highest musical standards. The Choral Society, which is conducted by Dr. Alex T. Favazza, Jr., Director of Choral activities at UNH and accompanied by Ms. Jeannie Goodwin, is comprised of over 90 members.
General admission tickets are $15.00 and children six and under are free. Discounts are available for groups of more than 25 people by calling 603-988-9676. Advance tickets for Saturday’s performance will be available from choir members and online at www.rockingham choral.org, and will be available at the door.
Tickets for Sunday’s performance are only available for purchase online. Availability of day-of tickets at the door is not guaranteed because of limited seating capacity. Although not currently required, COVID-19 protocols may be in place at the time of the concerts. Policy updates will be posted on the group’s website and Facebook pages.
Rockingham Choral Society is supported in part by a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts. More information can be found atwww.rockinghamchoral.org or on the group’s Facebook page.
About Rockingham Choral Society
The Rockingham Choral Society was founded in 1957 with the dream of performing choral masterpieces from all periods, including works with orchestra. With a membership ranging from over 90 singers, the Choral Society has been accompanied by a number of distinguished local musicians throughout their history. The group performs two annual concerts for audiences in the New Hampshire Seacoast region. In 2018, the Choral Society appointed Dr. Alex Favazza as Artistic Director—only their sixth in more than 60 years.
For more information, please visit www.rockinghamchoral.org.