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HSC performs Mendelssohn, Haydn in Mexico City
By Susan Scarrow
In early July the
Houston Symphony Chorus travelled to Mexico City to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s
great oratorio Elijah in season-opening concerts of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Mineria. The Chorus also
sang Joseph Haydn’s Te Deum as part of this concert which marked
anniversary years for both Mendelssohn and Haydn.
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Carlos Miguel Prieto (right), former associate conductor of the Houston Symphony, led the performances, which continue a 24-year collaboration between the Chorus and Orquesta. HSC Director Charles Hausmann (left) prepared the Chorus for the three concerts. Past Mexico City concerts have included requiems by Berlioz and Verdi, a concert performance of Verdi’s opera Nabucco, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Mahler’s 3rd Symphony, and a gala concert of opera choruses to mark the Orquesta’s 25th anniversary. |
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During the weeklong residency Chorus members were once again guests of the Orquesta at our long-time favorite hotel, the Radisson Paraiso – conveniently located close to archaeological sites such as Cuicuilco which gave chorus members a chance to prepare for the role of Maria Von Trapp in the Aztec version of The Sound of Music. |
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Singers and guests had time for other musical and non-musical events, including day trips to Cuernavaca, home of the Palacio de Cortés. |
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Others visited the colonial city of Taxco, which is the world's capital of silver. |
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Another group visited The Pyramids. Rodney and Donni Blair dressed in traditional choral ceremonial garb before ascending the pyramid. |
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Most visited their favorite restaurants even though Maria Schoen, Mary Voight, Robert Gomez, and Dave Schoen bravely volunteered to check out an unfamiliar restaurant for other chorus members. |
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