#Newsflash | The Oratorio Society of Queens Returns In Grand Style on May 15
The Oratorio Society of Queens, the borough’s oldest performing cultural organization, has been stymied for the past 28 months due to the pandemic.
Not anymore. The ensemble — consisting of more than 75 chorus members, soloists, and musicians under the direction of Maestro David Close — makes a triumphant return with a 95th anniversary concert in Flushing on Sunday, May 15, at 4 pm.
Brahms to Buenos Aires to Broadway opens with Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus,” “How Lovely is The Dwelling Place” by Brahms, and other joyous songs. Then, it’s off to Argentina with Ariel Ramírez’s “Misa Criolla,” a piece that combines South American folkloric sounds and rhythms with sacred text in Spanish. The program includes traditional African-American spirituals that express difficult times and hope for a better future before the ensemble finishes with a medley of tunes from the Rogers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!
General admission is $40, but seniors (62 plus) and students with proper identification can attend for $35. Children (under 13) pay only $10, but they must be accompanied by an adult.
Pandemics aside, the Oratorio Society of Queens usually presents a pre-Christmas show at Bayside’s Queensborough Performing Arts Center and a spring concert at Our Lady Queens of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills.
The host venue for Brahms to Buenos Aires to Broadway, St. Kevin Church at 42-21 194th St., has a large parking lot.
Images: The Oratorio Society of Queens
