Members of the Washington National Opera Chorus will perform a benefit concert on January 20th, 2013 at 4 pm, at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church in Northwest Washington, DC. Proceeds from the concert will support the Relief Fund of the American Guild of Musical Artists, which was established by the national union representing vocalists, dancers, and opera and ballet production staff, to help cover basic living expenses and emergency requirements of members in severe financial need.
The arts are disproportionately affected by economic uncertainty. Because of the economic uncertainty of recent years many artists have either less work or no work at all in their fields. Not only is this a tragedy for individuals and their families, it is a tremendous loss for the community. Recognizing the impact of this loss, singers from the Washington National Opera Chorus and other area musicians will join together for a fourth year to volunteer their time and talent for the AGMA Relief Fund Benefit Concert. Previous concerts have raised almost $20,000 for the Relief Fund.
This year's concert, held during Inauguration weekend, will celebrate the music of the United States. Under the direction of conductor and Chorus Master of the Washington National Opera, Maestro Steven Gathman, the WNO Chorus will perform a varied program of American choral and operatic works. From the opera choral repertory, we will present selections in our repertoire from the works of George Gershwin, Mark Fax and Carlyle Floyd. From the concert repertory we will present Spiritual and Folk Song arrangements by Carol Barnett, Stephen Paulus, James Erb, and Moses Hogan as well as works by Samuel Barber, Nico Muhly and others.
The Washington National Opera Chorus is widely recognized as one of the finest opera ensembles in the world. Previous concerts have been lauded as artistic triumphs.