Arts & Entertainment
St. John Brebeuf Elijah Concert to Feature Park Ridge's Govertsen
Come and enjoy Elijah by Mendelssohn at St. John Brebeuf as performed by Park Ridge's David Govertsen in the starring role.
The mesmerizing oratorio, Elijah by Mendelssohn will be presented Sunday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. at St. John Brebeuf, 8307 N Harlem Ave, Niles. Featuring the Musica Lumina Orchestra and the Niles Metropolitan Chorus, this first Rudcki Commemorative Concert stars Park Ridge resident David Govertsen as Elijah. There is no charge for admission but free will donations are encouraged.
Govertsen, who has taught music at Field, Carpenter and Roosevelt elementary schools as well as at Lincoln Middle School in Park Ridge, recently completed his tenure as a member of the Ryan Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago where his mainstage assignments included roles in The Magic Flute, Boris Godunov, Werther and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He returned to Lyric this season to sing the Haushofmeister in Capriccio. In addition to his work on the Lyric stage, this season Govertsen appeared as the Apparition in Macbeth with the Chicago Symphony under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti.
The fourth in the 2014-2015 concert series organized by SJB Music Director Marek Rachelski, Elijah is the first of three commemorative concerts given in honor of the legacy of the Rev. Stanley Rudcki, the former Chair of the Niles College Department of Fine Arts, who founded the Niles Concert Choir and Niles Symphony Orchestra in the 1960s. A second Rudcki Commemorative Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. when The Musica Lumina Chamber Orchestra and Niles Metropolitan Chorus will perform Handel’s Messiah. This second annual do-it-yourself concert will have scores available for participating audience members. A special Palm Sunday performance of Rossini’s Stabat Mater on Sunday, March 29, at 3 p.m. is the third and final Rudcki Commemorative Concert of the 2014-2015 season.
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Other concerts on the this season’s schedule are Sunday, Feb. 15, at 3 p.m. when Jack Cimo, a classical guitarist will perform as part of his national tour, and Sunday March 8, at 7 p.m. when Musica Lumina will present a program of French chamber music featuring the music of Poulenc and Saint Saens.
For more information, call 847-966-8145 or visit www.sjbrebeuf.org
