On Tuesday June 6 at 8 pm, a spectacular premiere of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, newly transcribed for chamber orchestra by Charles Kiger, will kick off the free June series of the Washington Square Music Festival, now in its 59th season. The cantata is based on 24 poems from the medieval collection of the same name. Featured are The Stonewall Chorale, the nation’s first LBGT Chorus, and soloists: Ariadne Greif, soprano; Lindell O. Carter, tenor; andMichael Kelly, baritone. Lutz Rath conducts the Festival Chamber Orchestra. The Festival is under the auspices of the Washington Square Association, Inc. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis.
June 6, 8 pm: The Festival Chamber Orchestra conducted by Lutz Rath
Info: 212-252-3621, www.washingtonsquaremusicfestival.org
Main Stage, Washington Square Park – FREE
Rainspace: Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
Georges Bizet: Overture to Carmen
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
Soloists: Ariadne Greif, soprano; Lindell O. Carter, tenor; Michael Kelly, baritone The Stonewall Chorale & members of Melodia Women’s Choir
Timpanist & percussionist Charles Kiger, is one of New York’s most active musicians and concert producers, and, more recently a transcriber. His Carmina Burana follows a previous, highly-successful piano and violin transcription of Richard Strauss’s orchestral tone poem Don Juan, Op. 20. These two projects represent Mr. Kiger’s continuing effort to further explore large, orchestral masterpieces in a chamber setting. As a performer he has appeared recently as Principal Timpanist and Percussionist with the American Symphony Orchestra, New York City Opera Orchestra, The Richmond Symphony, The Strathmere Festival Orchestra, Washington Square Music Festival, The OrchestraNow, The Handel Society of Dartmouth, Riverside Choral Society, and Binghamton Philharmonic. He was formerly Principal Timpanist of the Jupiter Symphony, as well as solo percussionist of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. Currently, he is Timpanist and orchestra manager for the Spectrum Symphony of NY, as well as Solo Timpanist and Percussionist with the Washington Square Music Festival. He has performed extensively in the recent Broadway productions of
“A Chorus Line”, “West Side Story”, and “Billy Elliot” to name a few, and “Radio City Christmas Spectacular”. Since 2003, he has been the solo percussionist for Italian tenor Michael Amante, and more recently with the NY Tenors and Julie Budd. He works extensively as a performer at Bard College, as well to producing live concerts and studio recordings. His principal teacher was conductor Jens Nygaard.