Andover Choral Society presents Puccini, Brahms and Verdi

Andover Choral Society, directed by Michael Driscoll, celebrates its 89th season on Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Andover, with a concert entitled "Messa di Gloria" featuring music of Giacomo Puccini, Johannes Brahms and Giuseppe Verdi. The chorus will be accompanied by professional orchestra and soloists Omar Najmi and Dana Whiteside.

In 1880, Puccini composed his Messa di Gloria as a graduation exercise for the Istituto Musicale Pacini in Lucca, Italy. “Puccini's Messa di Gloria,” says Music Director Michael Driscoll, “was a monumental achievement for any composer, let alone one who is just twenty-two years old! Even though this is a sacred work, the influence of Italian opera is clearly evident throughout the work.”

Considered one of Brahms' best works, Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) is an orchestrally-accompanied choral setting of a poem written by German poet and philosopher Friedrich Hölderlin. Finally, three movements from Verdi's dramatic Messa da Requiem round out the program.

Tickets are $20 for adults in advance ($25 at the door) and $5 for students. Group rates are available. For tickets and information, please call (978) 682-4050 or visit andoverchoralsociety.org. Veterans Memorial Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Off-street parking is available.

Andover Choral Society participates in the Electronic Benefit Transfer Card to Culture program, a joint venture between the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and many of the Commonwealth’s best cultural institutions.

Andover Choral Society is a community chorus dedicated to bringing high-quality choral music to the Merrimack Valley community. Since 1929, membership in the chorus has been open to anyone with a love of great choral music and a desire to share that love with others.