The University of Missouri School of Music will present the premiere of Stefan Freund's oratorio The War Between Families and Neighbors: The Civil War in Missouri on April 24, 2014 in Jesse Hall on the MU campus. The combined forces of the MU Choral Union, the University Singers and the Columbia Civic Orchestra will perform, along with soloists Steven Tharp, tenor, Timothy Jones, bass-baritone, and Lindsey Lang, soprano, all under the baton of the University's Director of Choral Activities, R. Paul Crabb. The oratorio traces the role of Missouri in the Civil War and draws its text from contemporary sources including newspaper reporting, editorials, and eyewitness accounts. The performance will be accompanied by projections of the texts as well as artwork contributed by the Missouri State Historical Society.
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Konzerthaus, Berlin
Defiant Requiem in Berlin
Steven Tharp gives his sixth performance of Defiant Requiem on March 24, 2014 at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. This performance marks the German premiere of Defiant Requiem, which tells the story of Rafael Schaechter and his brave chorus of fellow inmates in the Terezín concentration camp, who rehearsed and performed the Verdi Requiem despite the hardships and privations visited on them by their Nazi captors. Tharp joins Murry Sidlin, conductor and creator of Defiant Requiem and fellow soloists Aga Mikolaj, soprano, Gerhiild Romberger, mezzo-soprano, and István Kovács, bass, along with actors Iris Berben and Ulrich Matthes. Details of the performance can be found at Defiantrequiem.org
Defiant Requiem Returns to Prague
The concert-drama, Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín, tells the story of the courageous Jewish prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp during World War II who, led by conductor Rafael Schächter, performed the famous Verdi Requiem Mass while experiencing the depths of human degradation.
On June 6, Steven Tharp will make his fifth appearance in Defiant Requiem, after previous performances in the United States as well as at the Terezín Memorial. The performance, led by Murry Sidlin, the creator of Defiant Requiem , will take place in St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague, and will feature the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and the Kühn Choir. Mr. Tharp's fellow soloists will be Jitka Burgetová, soprano, Veronika Hajnová, mezzo-soprano, and Roman Vocel, bass. Details can be found at Defiantrequiem.org.
PBS recently aired Defiant Requiem: Voices of Resistance , a film documentary exploring the story of Rafael Schächter and his chorus. The film features Mr. Tharp in excerpts from a previous performance of this moving concert drama.
Tharp Joins Mexican National Symphony at Short Notice
It has just been confirmed that Steven Tharp will travel to Mexico for two concerts of Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional this March 22 and 24. Carlos Miguel Prieto is conducting. This marks Tharp's second time with the orchestra after singing Uriel in Haydn's Creation there recently.
Voices of Ascension Next for Tharp
On January 31, 2013, Steven Tharp will join Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra, under the baton of Artistic Director Dennis Keene, in a program of works by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, and concluding with Franz Joseph Haydn's Paukenmesse, also known as the Mass in Time of War. Full concert details are available here.
Tharp has sung with Voices of Ascension on numerous occasions, including performances of both the St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion of Bach.
(photo: Voices of Ascension)
Tharp Returns to Louisiana Philharmonic
April 19 and 20, 2012 brought stellar performances of Mozart's Requiem with the Louisiana Philharmonic under its music director, Carlos Miguel Prieto. Joining Tharp were fellow Dispeker artists Jonita Lattimore, Margaret Lattimore and Michael Dean.