David Conte‘s Elegy for Matthew will be performed by tenor Brian Thorsett on Saturday, October 7. The performance is part of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin’s Candelight Concert Series. Elegy for Matthew was commissioned in memory of Matthew Shepard by James Geiger for the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, Barry Oliver, conductor. The work received its premiere performance on June 17th, 1999 at Carnegie Hall, New York City.
Hailed as “a strikingly gifted tenor, with a deeply moving, unblemished voice” (sfmusicjournal.com), Brian Thorsett is excelling in opera, oratorio and recital across the world. Since taking to the operatic stage, he has been seen and heard in over 100 diverse operatic roles, ranging from Monteverdi to Britten, back to Rameau and ahead again to works composed specifically for his talents. He is a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Glimmerglass Opera’s Young American Artist program, American Bach Soloists’ Academy, the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Aldeburgh, England and spent two summers at the Music Academy of the West. Brian is currently Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech and previously served on faculty at Santa Clara University and University of California at Berkeley.
In Tune blog 