The New York Virtuoso Singers Presents First Concert of 25^th Anniversary Season on October 21 at Kaufman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall, Featuring World Premieres of 12 Works by Major American Composers
 
The New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, Conductor and Artistic Director, will present the first concert of their 25^th Anniversary season on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 3:00 PM at Kaufman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th St. (btw Broadway and Amsterdam) in Manhattan. This will mark their return to the hall where they presented their first concert in 1988.
 
To celebrate their 25^th Anniversary, Harold Rosenbaum and the NYVS asked 25 of this country’s most important composers to create new works. The October 21 concert will feature World Premieres of 12 of these commissioned works from Jennifer Higdon, George Tsontakis, John Corigliano, David Del Tredici, Shulamit Ran, John Harbison, Steven Stucky, Stephen Hartke, Fred Lerdahl, Chen Yi, Bruce Adolphe and Yehudi Wyner.
 
Special guests will be Brent Funderburk, piano and the Canticum Novum Youth Choir, Edie Rosenbaum, Director. A pre-concert discussion with the several of the composers will begin at 2:15 PM. More about this concert at http://kaufman-center.org/mch/event/the-new-york-virtuoso-singers .
 
Tickets for the October 21 concert are $25/$15 students. For tickets or more information, call Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center at 212-501-3330 or visit http://kaufman-center.org/mch/ .
 
All New York Virtuoso Singers concerts are ADA accessible. For MTA transportation information, visit http://tripplanner.mta.info/_start.aspx .
 
The other 13 works commissioned works, by Richard Wernick, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Aaron Jay Kernis, David Lang, Mark Adamo, Richard Danielpour, Augusta Read Thomas, Thea Musgrave, Joseph Schwantner, William Bolcom, Roger Davidson, David Felder and Joan Tower, will be premiered on Sunday, March 3, 2013, again at Kaufman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall
 
Founded in 1988 by conductor Harold Rosenbaum, The New York Virtuoso Singers has become the country's leading exponent of contemporary choral music. Although the chorus performs music of all periods, its emphasis is on commissioning, performing and recording the music of American composers. The choir appears on over 20 commercial CDs, including releases on Bridge, Albany, Soundbrush, and Kasp, featuring the music of Andrew Imbrie, William Schuman, George Perle, Thea Musgrave, David Lang, Yehudi Wyner, Luigi Dallapicolla and many others. More about them at http://www.nyvirtuoso.org/aboutus.htm . Join their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-New-York-Virtuoso-Singers/130509011774 .
 
These programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.