(LENOX, Mass.) – The Berkshire Lyric Chorus and Blafield Children’s Chorus will perform their annual Masterworks Concert this year at Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood on Sunday, June 1, 2014, at 3 pm. The concert will feature choral psalms from many traditions and periods, including works by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chesnakov, Charles Ives, Virgil Thomson, Bobby McFerrin, Arvo Part, Henryk Gorecki, James MacMillan and others.

Guest artist mezzo-soprano Marjorie Dix will be joined by the men of the chorus in a performance of the Brahms Alto Rhapsody. Dix, who now resides in Richmond, is the Berkshire Lyric 2013-2014 Season Guest Artist. She is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artists Development Program and has performed at the Metropolitan Opera and in opera houses throughout the United States and abroad.

Berkshire Lyric’s artistic director Jack Brown noted that while many of the pieces slated to be performed are rarely heard, they represent some of the most historically important compositions of various time periods. “‘Psalm 90’ by Charles Ives has been described by some as the greatest American choral work,” said Brown. “First composed by New Englander Charles Ives in 1894, this large scale and deeply evocative work is musically many decades ahead of its time.”

“The prolific and award winning composer James Macmillan is the preeminent Scottish composer of his generation,” Brown continued. “His setting of Psalm 109, In splendoribus santorum, is written for large a cappella chorus and a single virtuoso solo trumpet. The featured soloist will be David Krauss, the principal trumpet with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2001, and also a part time resident of the Berkshires.”

Tickets are $25 for adults with children admitted free, and available via the Berkshire Lyric Chorus website or by cash or check on the day of the event.
Berkshire Lyric was founded by Robert Blafield in 1963 and now involves more than 150 singers in four choruses. Berkshire Lyric has been a fixture in the Berkshire musical landscape for more than 50 years, beginning as a lyric theatre performance group. It has since grown to be the only multi-generational music performance and educational group in the Berkshires, providing scholarships, tuition-free education, and quality performance opportunities to Berkshire residents of all ages.