DUBAI SINGERS & ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM ‘REQUIEM’

Dubai, UAE. 11 March 2024- Dubai Singers & Orchestra will present Requiem, the soul-stirring operatic choral work by Giuseppe Verdi, at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Abu Dhabi, at 7pm on Sunday 21 April.

Conducted by Music Director Jennie Lee-Foster, some 90 singers, accompanied by a 60-piece orchestra, will perform the seven-part requiem mass, one of classical music’s greatest showcases of vocal, choral and orchestral writing.

Requiem will feature a thrilling quartet of professional soloists, flown in exclusively from the UK – Soprano Elizabeth Donovan, Mezzo-soprano Hannah Pedley, Tenor Matthew Minter and Bass Christopher Sheldrake.

Known for opera, Verdi composed Requiem in quasi-operatic form, unlike any other choral work. The four soloists and choir weave in together in a dramatic style that could only happen in opera. 

The Dies Irae, ‘Day of Wrath’ or ‘Judgment Day’, is quite terrifying, with a surround-sound of eight trumpets foretelling the coming of the day of judgment.  However, all is not doom and gloom; the joyful exclamation ‘Hosanna in the Highest!’ at the end of the Sanctus is one of the most uplifting moments in choral music.

Dubai Singers Chairman, Carolyn Belsey Morton, said: “Never before in its 58-year history has Dubai Singers performed such an ambitious work as the Verdi Requiem.  

“We are delighted to perform this masterpiece in the wonderful Emirates Palace auditorium, accompanied by our professional orchestra, under the guidance of Jennie Lee-Foster, and I’m confident the UAE’s music-lovers will enjoy a fantastic performance!” 

Doors open at 6pm, with the performance starting at 7pm. A cash bar and finger food will be available in the lobby area before the concert and during the interval.

Tickets, from AED145, are available on PlatinumList

For more information and to arrange interviews contact:

Frances Barton - dubaisingers@gmail.com; 050 650 3900

About Dubai Singers & Orchestra

Dubai & Sharjah Singers was launched in 1968 when a small group first met in a villa, after which it grew to be the major choir in Dubai, performing well-known pieces in the classical and popular music repertoire, including operettas, mostly by Gilbert & Sullivan.

Originally presenting concerts in the British Council auditorium, and now in various venues in Dubai, they are accompanied by an orchestra made up of locally based professional musicians.

Now known as Dubai Singers & Orchestra, the group performs concerts three times a year, as well as a traditional Christmas Carol concert at Christ Church Jebel Ali. Dubai Singers is a community choir, aiming to attract singers of all abilities, and it enjoys a loyal following of music-lovers from across the emirates.

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