Contra Costa Chorale Spring Concert 2023
05-13-2023
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
UUCB
Grand Opera meets the Great White Way
What’s the difference between opera and musicals? They were conceived in two different worlds but now often crisscross the divide. The Contra Costa Chorale directed by Cindy Beitmen and accompanied by Martin Morley and guest instrumentalists, will present a concert of music from the Golden Age of opera and noteworthy Broadway musicals. We will sing a chorus from the first surviving opera written in 1600 by Jacopo Peri, as well as grand opera choruses by Verdi, Smetana, Bizet and Mascagni. Then on to the Great White Way and the bright lights of Broadway with pieces by Cole Porter, John Kander, Thomas “Fats” Waller, George and Ira Gershwin, Jonathan Larson, Jerry Bock, and Cy Coleman. Join us as we take a look at the differences and commonalities between these two great musical genres.
“The Great White Way is a nickname for the New York City Theater District (Braodway). It was given this name in the late 19th century when electricity was first used to light up the theaters, and the growing brilliance of the electrical signs promoting the shows in the Theater District and the electrical fixtures used to illuminate the theaters themselves ushered the Great White Way into existence.”
