The Brahms Requiem is an ambitious piece of music for small town choirs to perform, but we here in Suffield are going to have the opportunity to hear four or possibly five of its movements.
The upcoming performance is the brain child of Anthony Ferreira, who is both the choir director at the Second Baptist Church and the director of choral music at Suffield High School. Anthony is articulate and energetic, passionate about music, and devoted to the effort to provide his high school students, as well as the church’s congregation and the Suffield community, with a musical experience that is both liturgical and classical.
The performance will include the voices of 40 Suffield High School chorus members, the choir of the Second Baptist Church, the Cetto singers (a women’s group based in West Hartford), and individuals from other churches here in town, 60 to 70 in all. There will be a professional chamber orchestra as well. The logistics of rehearsals must be staggering in and of themselves, to say nothing of the German lyrics that the singers have to learn; lots of hours, on the part of many people, are involved.
What an educational opportunity this is for the Suffield High School students who are a huge part of the endeavor: time consuming and perhaps overwhelming at first, but Anthony reports that they can feel the beauty of the music and are willing, even happy, to be challenged in this way. He also suggests that it is important for young people to work on something which does not offer immediate gratification, which is not quick and easy, which does not lend itself to shallow commitment. The Brahms Requiem is not kid stuff.
The performance will take place on May 18 at 3:00, in the sanctuary of the Second Baptist Church on Main Street; admission is free.
When you consider a total of 70 singers, the instrumentalists, the proud family members who will want to attend the event, the Second Baptist Church congregation, and interested townspeople, this is likely to be a SRO afternoon–and one to be proud of. Congratulations first to Anthony Ferreira for conceiving of and organizing this extraordinary effort, then to the Second Baptist Church and to the Suffield High School Music Department for supporting it. Bravo all the way around!