Students to take on Mozart's Requiem
The spring concert presented at Streamwood High School by orchestral and chorus students on Thursday will have an extraordinary feature.
Not only will students perform Mozart's Requiem but four professional soloists will be part of the performance.
"It's not that we don't have students who are capable of performing the solos," said Streamwood Choral Director David Hain. "We thought it would be better to have the students working with professional singers, thinking they would get more out of it this way."
The soloists include Streamwood's voice instructor Marie Sokolova, who was recently signed by the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as two members of the St. Charles Singers -- Jon Gauthier and Cynthia Spiegel and tenor Daniel Fuhwiler of Bella Voce.
Hain collaborated with Streamwood Orchestra Director Laura Hinkle in choosing the Mozart Mass.
"Our thought was to do something dark because we thought it would go over well with the students," Hain said. "They have taken it and run with it."
About 70 choral and 55 orchestral students will participate in the performance.
Hain said he and Hinkle looked at several Requiems before settling on Mozart's. One of the criteria used in the selection was the numbers and types of instruments needed for the performance, thus ruling out some pieces that required instruments that the school didn't have.
"It's not the easiest piece to perform but it's got to be one of the most teachable pieces," Hain said. "So much literature has been written about the piece."
The story underlying Mozart's Requiem formed the basis for much of the story line in the movie "Amadeus."
If you go
What: Mozart's Requiem performed by Streamwood High School's orchestra and choral students
Soloists: Marie Sokolova, Lyric Opera of Chicago; Jon Gauthier and Cynthia Spiegel both members of St. Charles Singers; and tenor Daniel Fuhwiler of Bella Voce
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Auditorium at Streamwood High School, 701 W. Schaumburg Road
Tickets: $2, $1 for students and $6 for families