The Choral Society Of The Hamptons To Showcase “Carmina Burana”

The Choral Society of the Hamptons will present Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana over Fourth of July weekend at the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church – with two performances on Saturday, July 7 at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Led by music director and conductor, Mark Mangini, the chorus will be joined by three soloists, Chelsea Shephard, Soprano; Alex Guerrero, Tenor; and Dominic Inferrera, Baritone. Five percussionists and two award-winning pianists, Konstantin Soukhovetski and Matthew Maimone, will accompany the vocalists, as will students from Pierson Middle-High School of Sag Harbor who will join the chorus as the Children’s Choir or “Ragazzi.”

Originally premiering in 1937, Carmina Burana or Songs of Beuren has become one of the most popular works in the choral community, a fast moving celebration of wine and song with words medieval students used as a last hurrah before they committed to a life in monkhood.

The chorus will lead the audience through this piece of fortune’s fickleness, the ephemeral nature of life and the joy of the return on spring. Music director and conductor Mark Mangini calls the evocation “a real trip.”

The Choral Society has been led by well-known musicians such as John Daly Goodwin, Hugh Ross, and Gilbert Kaplan since it was founded in 1946 by the late Charlotte Rogers-Smith. The auditioned choir has performed with professional conductors, orchestra accompanists and soloists chosen from the region’s finest opera, oratorio, and musical theater performers.

Tickets for the concert are $30 in advance, $35 at the door, $10 for youth and $15 at the door. Preferred seating tickets are $75. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Kramoris Gallery in Sag Harbor.

The Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church is located at 2429 Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton. For more information, visit choralsocietyofthehamptons.org or call 631-204-9402.