By Michelle Saturley
Staff Writer

The upcoming performance of “A Mozart Birthday Celebration” demonstrates a rarely seen display of collaboration between two of the region’s most talented classical music organizations.

The Granite State Symphony Orchestra, shown rehearsing in top photo, will combine talents with the Concord Chorale, shown during a recent performance in bottom photo, to perform “A Mozart Birthday Celebration” on Jan. 28 at the Concord City Auditorium. “Violin Concerto No. 4,” “Overture to Lucio Silla,” “Coronation Mass” and “Ave Verum Corpus” are on the program.

The Concord Chorale, under the direction of Ryan Turner, and the Granite State Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Robert Babb, will share the spotlight on Jan. 28, off ering a program of some of Mozart’s most beloved pieces of music, both for symphonic and choral groups.

Babb reached out to Turner because of his love for choral music and his respect for the Concord Chorale’s work.

“When two highly respected organizations are located in the same city like we are, eventually they should get together and do something,” Babb said. “I had long been impressed with Ryan’s work as a conductor and as a singer, so he was the one I wanted to work with.”

Babb called Turner and the pair of conductors began to brainstorm, looking for some common ground between the two organizations. It wasn’t long before they found it: Mozart.

“The idea to work together in observation of Mozart’s 250th birthday was a perfect fi t,” Turner said. “There is a great body of work for both the musician and the singer with Mozart. And both Bob and I have great love and respect for Mozart.”

Once the two agreed on the theme, the song selection process began. Turner and Babb worked together to select the pieces that had historical signifi cance and also best showcased the groups’ abilities.

“We chose pieces from various points in Mozart’s career to demonstrate the growth he had as an artist,” Babb said. “We also had to keep in mind pieces that best displayed the talents of both the symphony and the chorale.”

The program for the concert includes “Violin Concerto No. 4,” featuring a performance by violinist Elliott Markow, a faculty member at St. Paul’s School and the GSSO Concertmaster. Other pieces include “Overture to Lucio Silla” and “Coronation Mass,” a choral piece featuring soprano Carol Haber, mezzo-soprano Eva Nagoria, tenor Kyle Masterson and bass Mark Andrew Cleveland. The two maestros will split conducting duties, with Babb at the helm for “Violin Concerto,” and Turner leading the singers for “Coronation Mass.”

“Overture to Lucio Silla” was chosen to represent the early era of Mozart’s creative life. The piece was written when Mozart was 15 years old – although, by then, he was already a seasoned professional.

“‘Coronation Mass’ is a ceremonial piece, very celebratory in tone,” Turner said. “It’s probably one of the more well-known of the works Mozart composed while living in Salzburg. People may not know its name but they will recognize it as soon as they hear it.”

Closing out the program with an encore of “Ave Verum Corpus” – one of the last pieces of music written by Mozart before his death in 1791 – was a risky choice, but Turner said the move was a purposeful one.

“It’s probably one of Mozart’s most intricate pieces, very mournful, very introspective,” Turner said. “It’s a piece the Chorale has performed before and we feel very comfortable with it.”

Babb said he thinks the use of “Ave Verum Corpus” as the encore will leave a lasting impression on the audience.

“It’s one of those pieces that just makes you say ‘wow,’” he said. “It will leave people with an incredible memory of a great night of music.”

Both Babb and Turner hope the collaboration will expose audience members to the joy of classical and choral music.

“We’re combining audiences, which benefi ts everyone,” Turner said. “People who normally only come to Concord Chorale concerts will get a chance to see how great the symphony is, and people who normally attend symphony shows will hear what the chorale has been up to.”

Babb is particularly excited about sharing conducting duties with Turner.

“It’s something that’s not done very often, because a lot of conductors out there are notoriously egotistical and don’t want to give up the podium,” Babb said with a laugh. “But I happen to think it’s pretty cool. There aren’t any egos at work here. We just want to put on a great performance and play some great music.”

“A Mozart Birthday Celebration” will be held at the Concord City Auditorium at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tickets are $20, or $18 for students and seniors, and can be purchased at Pompanoosic Mills, Merrimack County Savings Bank or Ballard’s, in Concord. For more information, call 226-4776.

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