SRU Concert Choir, Butler County Symphony Orchestra collaborate for Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No. 9 in D Minor’

March 31, 2016

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - From the four-note opening motif to the final movement of angelic voices, the Slippery Rock University Concert Choir and Butler County Symphony Orchestra are collaborating to present Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9 in D Minor" at 7:30 p.m., April 9, at Butler County Intermediate High School.

   KRAMER

Maestro Matthew Kraemer, symphony music director and conductor, will hold the baton.

The concert will feature 60 vocalists including students, alumni and members of the community. The soloists are Shannon Kessler Dooley, an opera singer who has performed nationwide, Katherine Drago, a mezzo-soprano, Robert Frankenberry, a tenor, and Timothy LeFebvre, associate professor of singing at Oberlin College and Conservancy.

   BARR

Barr and Kraemer have been collaborating on projects for three years, promoting classical music and giving students the opportunity to perform with professional musicians.

"The Butler County Symphony Orchestra is extremely excited to once again partner with Dr. Stephen Barr and the Slippery Rock University Concert Choir," said Joseph Kecskemethy, board president of the Butler County Symphony Association.

Beethoven's No. 9, completed in 1824, is considered the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony, making it a "vocal symphony." The words are sung during the final movement.

The SRU Concert Choir, which students and community residents audition for each fall, performs all types of music, including classical, renaissance, jazz, modern and a capella. The choir performs two concerts on campus each semester as well as at off-campus venues. It has performed in New York City's Carnegie Music Hall.

The Butler County Symphony Orchestra includes more than 50 musicians. Kraemer's guest conducting schedule has included appearances with orchestras in Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio, Houston, Nashville, Spokane and Syracuse.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the door, at the symphony office, 259 South Main St., Butler, or by calling 724.283.1402.

Butler Intermediate High School is at 551 Fairground Hill Road.

MEDIA CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine | 724.738.4854 | gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu