The vocal soloists for with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra’s Masterworks presen-tation of Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” are, clockwise from upper left, James Harrington, Robert Kleinertz, Mer-edith Zimmer and Mia Mandineau. The concert takes place May 5 at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

More than 90 voices will join with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra this May for the annual Masterworks concert at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

The Fredonia School of Music choral ensembles and select vocal soloists will perform Gioachino Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” with WNYCO on Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m. in King Concert Hall at Rockefeller Arts Center on the Fredonia campus.

The four soloists are James Harrington (bass), Robert Kleinertz (tenor), Mia Mandineau (soprano) and Meredith Zimmer (mezzo-soprano). The Masterworks Chorus for the WNYCO production will be under the direction of Dr. Vernon Huff, director of choral activities at SUNY Fredonia.

WNYCO Executive Director Lisa Layman noted that all four soloists have Fredonia connections. Harrington is a current School of Music faculty member, Kleinertz and Zimmer are alumni and Mandineau is a current graduate student.

“There will be approximately 90 students singing in the Masterworks chorus, and 20 members of the orchestra playing a reduced version,” Layman said.

Rossini, an Italian composer best known for his comic operas including “The Barber of Seville,” “Cenerentola,” and “Williams Tell,” composed his version of “Stabat Mater” over the course of a decade in the mid-19th century. Its premiere performance took place in Paris in 1842. Over the fol-lowing two centuries, it has been the subject of countless performances and more than a dozen recordings.

“Rossini was primarily known for his highly integrated operatic compositions, and had recently retired, but on a trip to Spain, he was asked by the archdeacon of Madrid to compose the ‘Stabat Mater,’ the famous hymn and poem to the grieving Virgin Mary at the crucifixion of Christ,” Lay-man said. “There are many who’ve written that even Rossini found it surprising, as the piece has more of a dramatic quality rather than reverent. There are coveted solos and quartet work through-out, but especially the ‘Cujus Animam’ for tenor with a high Dflat!”

The Masterworks concert is considered one of the annual highlights of the performing arts season at Fredonia.

“We hope that our audience is transported, even just for the afternoon, by a piece that doesn’t have the fame of other traditional choral masterpieces, yet still bears homage to sacredness and excel-lence through classical music,” Layman said.

The Western New York Chamber Orchestra is an ensemble in residence at the Fredonia School of Music. Composed of School of Music faculty and professional musicians from throughout West-ern New York and northwestern Pennsylvania, it is led by Conductor/Artistic Director Glen Cor-tese.

Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.fredonia.edu/tickets and by phone (716-673-3501) or in person at the Fredonia Campus Ticket Office in the Williams Center on Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Student tickets are free in advance and $5 at the door the day of the performance. General public tickets are $20.

The May 5 Masterworks event is presented as part of the 2023-24 Lake Shore Savings Season at Fredonia’s Rockefeller Arts Center. It is sponsored by the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, the Musicians’ Performance Trust Fund, the New York State Council for the Arts, the Cooper Foundation and the School of Music Choral Ensembles of the State University at Fredonia.