On the heels of winning the Village of Arlington Heights’ Cultural Arts Award — for his ability to enhance the community through music — St. James Music Director Tamaron Conseur will direct a major classical work on Thursday: Verdi’s Requiem.
Tam Conseur accepts his award from Mayor Jim Tinaglia, left, and members of the Cultural Arts Committee.
The concert takes place at 7 p.m. at St. James Church, located at 831 N. Arlington Heights Road and will feature a quartet of professional soloists, a 70-voice choir and 31-piece orchestra. Admission is free.
“This is a massive undertaking for us,” Conseur says. “Verdi’s Requiem is not really done outside of symphony halls because of the sheer scale of the orchestra and chorus.”
Conseur describes the Requiem as intensely dramatic and exciting. The powerful and emotionally charged music, he adds, heightens the pathos of the Requiem — the traditional Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead — with unforgettable melodies and orchestration in the operatic style of which Verdi was an undoubted genius.
Music Director Tamaron Conseur (photos courtesy of St. James)
Verdi’s Requiem is the highlight of St. James and its Sacred Concert Series, now in its third season. These classical works — presented with professional soloists, a choir and orchestra — consistently fill the church and contributed to Conseur’s award.
“I think people are hungry for experiences that are deeper than what they can get from Netflix, Instagram or Tik Tok,” Conseur says. “You know how they say classics endure for a reason. That’s because they contain something innately human that connects us all and I believe that’s from our creator.
“Call it what you like, but you can’t deny the connection you feel,” he adds, “when you’re with other people all gathered to have a common experience in something timeless.”
Consider that human connection to be even more prominent upon hearing Verdi’s Requiem, Conseur says. Presented during Lent, the moving piece invites the audience to meditate on mortality, contemplate the deep faith that inspires millions, and consider the spiritual hope of eternal life.
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