Audiences will find their seats in the Koger Center for the Arts' auditorium on Saturday and be met with the tranquil sounds of the South Carolina Philharmonic's orchestra performing Mozart's "Requiem" for the annual Wolfgang & Wine event.
With over 180 musicians performing, Wolfgang & Wine will be one of the biggest undertakings SC Philharmonic has had this year.
The annual event debuted last year to combine the performance of Mozart’s work with a wine tasting event.
“I think (audiences) should expect to have their hair raised because we really don’t get 180 musicians together very much in this town, and it just doesn’t happen in a lot of places," South Carolina Philharmonic marketing director Chad Henderson said.
Wolfgang & Wine features a performance of Mozart’s "Requiem," a mass to the dead. Mozart died before completing the piece, and it was finished by his close colleagues.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., prefixed by the wine tasting event an hour before, which requires an extra ticket.
“We just want people to be able to make an evening of it,” Henderson said. “We thought it would be a cool way to really just create some fellowship amongst our patrons.”
During the wine tasting, audiences will hear a performance from the South Carolina Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s cello choir and a speech about the upcoming performance by the Philharmonic's conductor, Morihiko Nakahara.
“He’s a very dynamic conductor and very approachable and engaging with the audience," said soloist and USC assistant professor of voice Serena LaRoche.
The concert opens with "La Calaca," a piece written by famous Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz exploring the idea of death through a celebratory theme. Audiences will also hear Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1, an orchestral piece with a solo performed by USC graduate and principal horn Kenneth Turner.
The concert features musicians from the Masterworks Choir of Florence, South Carolina, the Columbia Choral Society, the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra and four vocal soloists — a soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
“It’s really going to be a sort of broad spectrum of performers, ranging from emerging professionals and current students to really seasoned folks," soloist and USC assistant professor of voice Rachel Calloway said.
Henderson said Wolfgang & Wine spotlights many people that call Columbia home.
Three of the four soloists singing Mozart’s "Requiem" are professors at the USC School of Music. LaRoche, Calloway, assistant professor of voice Dominic Armstrong and USC graduate and Furman professor Craig Price.
"Requiem" is prominent both in the classical world and in pop culture through its presence in advertisements and movies. When LaRoche first heard the composition, she said she felt like she was in the presence of greatness.
“The construction of it is just brilliant, and it’s really evident when you sit and experience it," LaRoche said.
Calloway said the program is not only accessible to all audiences but will also evoke an "emotional sort of energy."
“It’s an overwhelming sort of wall of sound that envelopes you from the really softest moments to the really loud, impressive moments as well,” Calloway said. “Engaging with the musicians in that sense when you’re there live is so, so different from anything that you hear on a recording.”
