Description
The Riverside Choral Society, now in its 34th season, is one of Manhattan’s most broadly experienced choral ensembles made up of avocational and professional singers throughout the tri-state area. Under the baton of director Dr. Patrick Gardner, RCS recently presented a concert of American works by Eric Whitacre, Tarik O’Regan, Susan Gardner, Castel-Nuovo Tedesco and Kenneth Lampl. The chorus also presented concerts featuring works of of Lou Harrison and Charles Ives at Lincoln Center, and works by Leonard Bernstein, Frank Tichelli, Kurt Weill, and Alfred Schnittke at various venues in the city. In addition to its work in presenting contemporary music, Riverside is noted for its work at Lincoln Center. In November of 2013, the Riverside Choral Society Chamber Choir performed Handel’s "L’Allegro" (with the Mark Morris Dance Group) at the David H Koch Theater as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. RCS has also performed L’Allegro with the MMDG at the Mostly Mozart Festival, where RCS has also appeared numerous times in performances of the Mozart Requiem and Haydn’s Creation as well as numerous other choral classics. The chorus has also appeared at Lincoln Center in concerts with the London Symphony (Mahler Symphony No. 3, Valery Gergiev conducting) and the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra (Shostakovich Symphonies No. 2 and 13 with Gergiev conducting) and the Rotterdam Philharmonic (Shostakovich Symphony No. 3, Gergiev conducting). Additional performances with the Mark Morris Dance Group included Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Actsat the Brooklyn Academy of Music. RCS has performed on four of Symphony Space's "Wall to Wall" programs including Wall to Wall Stravinsky, and Wall to Wall presentations of Kurt Weill, Bernstein and Musical Theater. The Kurt Weill Foundation has several times funded RCS presentations, most recently of "Das Berliner Requiem" and RCS has also been invited to appear at the Museum of Jewish Heritage for programs of music by Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Shostakovich.
Riverside Choral Society understands the important role the arts plays in the lives of the members of its community. We strive to provide unique and exciting musical offerings for the enjoyment of friends, family and patrons of the arts throughout New York and its surrounding areas. The organization also recognizes the financial challenges faced--especially in recent years--by many of its friends and supporters. Unlike some groups, Riverside Choral Society receives no endowments or other funding. Our revenues are generated solely through ticket sales, donations, member dues and occasional fund-raising events. All of our activities are produced through the donated time and efforts of our members. Still, we remain committed to providing access to the arts through low ticket prices as well as free tickets to community-based organizations throughout New York. Engaging with our neighbors through performance and music making is a top priority for the organization and its members--many of whom are part of the very community the choir aims to serve.
