The Mercersburg Area Community Chorus presents Vivaldi’s Gloria and other seasonal favorites, on Saturday and Sunday December 3 & 4 at 4pm, in the Irvine Memorial Chapel at Mercersburg Academy. Soloists for the performances will include Elizabeth Turchi, soprano, and Leah Kaye Serr Gibson, mezzo-soprano. Admission is free, and seating is limited, so early arrival is recommended. For more information: call 717-328-2324 or visit mercersburgchorus.org .
From Broadway and cabaret to oratorio and the operatic stage, soprano Elisabeth Turchi’s versatility as an artist is evident in the diverse roles she has performed, comic to dramatic. Favorite roles include Cinderella (Into the Woods), Julie Jordan (Carousel), Violetta (La Traviata), Musetta (La Bohème), and Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) with companies such as the Opera Delaware, Caramoor International Music Festival, and Gotham Chamber Opera. Career highlights include a European tour of Haydn’s Creation with two-time Grammy-winning conductor Robert Page and performing Dave Brubeck’s Canticles of Mary with the Grammy-winning composer and his famous quartet. Ms. Turchi holds degrees in vocal performance from Carnegie Mellon University and Shenandoah University.
Mezzo-soprano Leah Kaye Serr Gibson has established herself as a singer and actress of “strength and lyrical beauty.” She received an undergraduate degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in vocal performance and completed her master’s degree at the University of Tennessee where she was also a member of the Knoxville Opera Studio Program. Ms. Gibson has performed with opera companies including Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Knoxville Opera, and Central City Opera. She also had the privilege of participating in the Châteauville Foundation Residency Program for young artists, where she covered the role of Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia conducted by Maestro Lorin Maazel. In concert work, Ms. Gibson has sung the mezzo solos in Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem, Beach’s Grand Mass in E-flat Maj, and Handel’s Messiah with several leading orchestras.
Founded in 1975, the Mercersburg Area Community Chorus performs concerts each year featuring major choral-orchestra compositions. For more information: call 717-328-2324 or visit mercersburgchorus.org .