Fairfield University's 17th annual Summer Festival Chorus performs Viva Vienna! July 31 | Press Releases

Image: Carole Ann Maxwell Every summer for seventeen years, the singers come to Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts, some from as far away as Port Chester, N. Y. but most from Connecticut towns near and far. The sopranos, tenors, altos and bass/baritones come to work with conductor Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell, sing with an ensemble and perform for a packed house at the Kelley Theatre. This year, old and new members of the Summer Festival Chorus perform "Viva Vienna" on Saturday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. Beth Palmer is the accompanist and Dr. Joe Utterback is a special guest artist.

Maxwell, always adept at choosing music and a summer theme, settled on the often-lilting music of Vienna for its grace, elegance and vitality. "Franz Schubert's music bridges the Classical and Romantic periods. He uses lovely melodies and he fuses these melodies with traditional classical forms. His brilliant achievement is that he simultaneously expanded both forms," said Maxwell. "He was a great influence on Brahms and sparked the imagination of all the composers we showcase in Viva Vienna! "

In addition to the work of Schubert, the program includes the music of Johannes Brahms, Giuseppe Verdi, Johann Strauss and Franz Lehár.

Singing in German, the chorus begins the program with Brahms' "Wie lieblich sind deine Wohungen" from "A German Requiem p. 45, No. 4" and follows that piece with Schubert's "Lebenlust." Schubert's "Mass in G," sung in Latin ends the first half of the evening.

The second half of the evening has a party atmosphere and spotlights Verdi's "La Traviata," Strauss' finale from Act II of "Die Fledermaus" and "The Merry Widow" by Franz Lehár.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at quickcenter.com or by calling the Box Office at (203) 254-4010. The toll free number is 1-877-ARTS-396. Special offers and discounts are available through the Quick Center's e-mail list. Join, by contacting boxoffice@quickcenter.com . And become a fan of the Quick Center for the Arts on Facebook! Keep up-to-date with the latest performance news, plus special offers and discounts! Find the Quick Center at www.facebook.com/FairfieldQuickCenter.