MidAm Concert at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, 7 PM.

Rehearsal, bus transport and performance schedules

(Updated Dec. 11, 2023.)

(You can download this schedule from the box below.)

Saturday Dec 16:

10:00 am - Bus departs from Warwick Town Hall (132 Kings Highway, Warwick)

11:45 am - Choirs arrive at St. Jean Baptiste High School, 

      173 E 75th St, New York, NY 10021.

12:30 - 3:30 pm - Choirs rehearse.

  4:00 pm - Bus departs St. Jean Baptiste HS for Warwick.

  6:00 pm - Bus arrives back at Warwick Town Hall.

Sunday, Dec 17:

11:30 am - Bus departs from Warwick Town Hall.

  1:30 pm  -  Choirs arrive at St. Jean Baptiste High School, 

      173 E 75th St, New York, NY 10021.

  1:45 - 2:15 pm - Choirs rehearse the Hallelujah Chorus.

  2:15 - 5:00 pm - Choirs rehearse the Rutter Magnificat.

  5:30 pm  -  Bus departs St. Jean Baptiste HS for Warwick.

  7:30 pm  -  Bus arrives back at Warwick Town Hall.

Monday, Dec 18:  no rehearsals for choirs in Rutter Magnificat.

Tuesday, Dec 19: 

11:30 am - Bus departs from Warwick Town Hall

  2:00 pm  -  Magnificat choirs report to Carnegie Hall backstage entrance,

    161 W. 56th Street, New York, NY 10019, and led to "standby rooms”.

  3:00 pm - Magnificat choirs line up and move "to the house".

  3:15 - 3:35 pm - Magnificat choirs rehearse Hallelujah Chorus from seats.

  3:35 - 3:55 pm - Magnificat choirs take stage during orchestra break.

  3:55 - 4:45 - Choirs and orchestra rehearse Magnificat on stage.

  5:00 - 6:00 pm - Free time, etc.

  6:00 pm - Choirs report to assigned "standby rooms" at Carnegie Hall for line up.

  7:05 - 9:15 pm - Concert in the Stern Auditorium.

  9:15 pm - After concert retrieve personal items from the standby room and 

proceed to the street level.

10:00 pm - Bus departs Carnegie Hall for Warwick

10:05 - 11:55 pm - Famous WVC post-concert party.  Store coolers on bus during the day.

12:00 am - Bus arrives back at Warwick Town Hall.

As always, this schedule is subject to change and last-minute adjustments.

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Where to meet the bus?  

The bus will pick up and drop off WVC riders on the lane leading to the Police Station which is on the east side of the Warwick Town Hall (132 Kings Highway, Warwick, NY 10990).  To access this lane turn onto Public Works Dr (notice the snow plow blade) from Kings Highway about two hundred yards east of the Town Hall.  Park on the access lane at the end near Public Works Dr and away from the entrance to the Police Station.

Note: parking on the access lane is limited, so please car pool or arrange to have someone drop you off/pick you up.  There are about thirty parking spots for 55 riders - do the math!

There may be one or more seats available for bus transportation to/from the New York rehearsal and performance venues. See Amelia DiCarlo with questions.

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It's important that all performing in this concert make it to all of the rehearsals listed above! 

The attire for the performance is the same as what you wore for the WVC concerts this past week.   

The music scores should be in a black folder.

The performance of the Rutter Magnificat will open the concert.  After this performance, the Rutter singers (that's us) will be escorted to seats in the concert hall for the 2nd half of the program.  At the conclusion of the 2nd half we will sing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from these seats.   After that singers will return to their assigned standby room to gather personal belongings and then proceed to the street level for boarding the awaiting busses.  Don't get left behind!

Judy Dickinson added that we might suggest to singers the wisdom of bringing a snack or light "bag lunch" to eat when, or as, we arrive in the city, since time will be short and will have to include finding a restroom. Eating on the bus, though allowed, must be done considerately:  nothing smelly, nothing that might cause nausea, no garbage or spills of any kind left behind, etc.  

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Tickets for this concert for your relatives, neighbors, friends, etc., are on sale through the Carnegie Hall Box Office:

The following information is courtesy of MidAmerica Productions:  

"MidAmerica Productions is happy to announce that tickets are now on sale for your concert at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.   Tickets range from $50-$125 and may be purchased online, over the phone, or in person at the Carnegie Hall Box Office located at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Ticket Purchasing link: 

https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2023/12/19/New-England-Symphonic-Ensemble-0700PM

Tickets can also be purchased at CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800.  

For group tickets of 10+ please contact groupsales@carnegiehall.org or call 212-903-9705."

From MidAmerica's web page for this concert:  

Synopsis of the program:  Tuesday, December 19, 2023

7:00 PM  -  Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

"Dr. Will Kesling conducts the New England Symphonic Ensemble and choir with renditions of classic yuletide favorites like "Carol of the Bells" and "Little Drummer Boy", alongside refreshing holiday selections from contemporary composers like Dan Forrest and Ola Gjeilo. Completing the evening is John Rutter's Magnificat, led by Cailin Marcel Manson, Artistic Consultant of MidAmerica Productions.

Participating Choruses for the Magnificat:
Columbia Collegiate Chorale of Washington Adventist University, Takoma Park, MD (Anwar Ottley, Director)
Freeport High School Select Chorale, Freeport, NY (Monique Retzlaff, Director)
Lehigh Valley Chorale, Easton, PA (Nicholas Sienkiewicz, Director)
Warwick Valley Chorale, Warwick, NY (Ron De Fesi, Director)

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Some considerations:

° Concert dress is what you wear for your local concerts. However, there are some restrictions:

° Please do not wear sparkling jewels on stage. The stage lights reflecting off your jewelry will cause visual distractions to the audience.

° Because of the closeness of the performers, please do not wear hair spray or cologne.

° Please be sure to turn off all beeping watches and cell phones.

° Because there is a good deal of walking and standing on the day of the dress rehearsal and performance, it is very important to wear comfortable shoes!

Send questions and comments to your faithful webmeister:  cholmes@warwickvalleychorale.org