Verdi Gala 10th Season, Brooklyn's Metro Chamber Orchestra Saturday, February 23, 2013, 8pm

As the Brooklyn Renaissance continues, three local music groups will get together to celebrate the 200th birthday of Italy’s favorite musical son. The Metro Chamber Orchestra, the Brooklyn Conservatory Chorale and the Brooklyn Wind Symphony will join together on Saturday, February 23rd, at 8:00 p.m., to celebrate the 200th birthday of the great Italian master Giuseppe Verdi, in the landmark sanctuary of St. Anne and the Holy Trinity, 157 Montague St. Brooklyn.

125 performers will join for the grand finale, the Triumphal Scene from the grandest of grand operas, Aida.

While Brooklyn is famous for funky and off-beat new age music, mainstream classical music is lacking. Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra artistic director Phil Nuzzo hopes to change that. Now in its tenth year, the MCO performs both sides of the coin, from Mozart and the more traditional classical works, to world premieres of new works. In fact, in both this year and the next, the MCO will perform premieres of music by female composers: Deon Price’s Concerto of Oneness, performed by Brooklyn violinist Amanda Lo, and Nancy Vandavate’s opera All Quiet on the Western Front.

A fine cast of solo artists, led by Metropolitan Opera baritone Theodore Lambrinos, Korean tenor Luis Yo and bass Gregory Sheppard, bring their considerable operatic experience to the performance. Well known Brooklyn soprano Therese Panicali also joins the cast. Verdi’s music is represented by popular selections from La Traviata and Nabucco, as well as lesser known operas like Attilaand I Lombardi.

Tickets are available for $25 through brownpapertickets.com/verdigala. Additional information may be obtained on the MCO website, www.themetrochamberorchestra.org.