Saturday, March 7, 8 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m.
Augustana College's Centennial Hall, 3707 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
Written in memory of Italian poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni, composer Giuseppe Verdi's powerful, emotional, and deeply religious Messa da Requiem serves as the entire repertoire for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's latest Masterworks presentation Requiem, its March 7 and 8 performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre and Augustana College's Centennial Hall graced by a full chorus led by Augustana professor Jon Hurty and the vocals of four exceptional guest soloists: soprano Alexandria Shiner, mezzo-soprano Daryl Freedman, tenor Robert Stahley, and bass Steven Humes.
Lauded by Washington Classical Review for her “powerful soprano voice with precise intonation and a broad range of dynamics and color,” Michigan native Shiner received an Encouragement Award in the 2017 Middle East Tennessee District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and placed second in the Young Artist category of the 2016 Orpheus National Music Competition for Vocalists. Additionally, she received her Master of Music from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her Bachelor of Music from Western Michigan University. Freedman, praised by Opera News for her “striking dark timbre” and “expansive, sumptuous” performances, is a recent graduate of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, and with her credits including roles as Herodias in Salome, Fraulein Krone in The Impresario, and Death in Le Rossignol, she debuted at Carnegie Hall singing Handel's Messiah with the Cecilia Chorus of New York.
A first-place winner in the 2018 Piccolo Vocal Competition lauded by South Florida Classical Review for “bringing vociferous ring to the tenor line,”, Stahley completed his Artist Diploma and Masters at the Conservatory of Music, and has performed with such companies as Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, and Palm Beach Opera. And Humes, whose bass was described by Forum Opera as “very firm and full of authority,” received his musical education at the New England Conservatory and Boston University, with his national performances including works with Los Angeles Opera, Atlanta Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Detroit Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and Chicago's Ravinia Festival.
The Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Masterworks V: Requiem performances will be held at the Adler Theatre on March 7 at 8 p.m. and, in Rock Island, Augustana College's Centennial Hall on March 8 at 2 p.m. Admission is $10-65, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)322-7276 or visiting QCSO.org.
