Distinguished Concerts International - New York

Area Dayton Philharmonic Chorus members sing at Carnegie Hall

July 10, 2008

by Pamily Dillon

Among those invited to perform at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall: Maria Callas, Judy Garland, Leonard Bernstein, The Beatles.

Another group who has been been given that elite honor: the Dayton Philharmonic chorus.

Springboro resident Beverly Dean and former residents Tom Beery and Cheryl Richardson were among the 90 DPC members who performed with 30 from the Wright State University Collegiate Chorale, and 20 singers from Los Robles High School in California on June 29 at the prestigious venue.

“Late last summer, our director Hank Dahlman stands up and announces, ‘I’ve got some news for you,’ “said Dean, a second alto who also teaches piano. “He told us about the invitation to sing at Carnegie Hall, and everyone’s jaw hit the floor. For me, it was total disbelief.”

That meant extra rehearsal time added to the three-hour Tuesday practices during the regular season. They started rehearsing for the Carnegie piece around mid-May.

They were only performing one song, but that piece was quite substantial at six movements and 25 minutes in length: Mozart’s “Vesperae Solennes de Confessore.”

“We got up there Friday and there’s a big poster announcing us in front of Carnegie Hall. It was pretty cool walking by every day with that poster moving closer and closer to the door,” said Beery, a second tenor.

Apparently others in New York took note of the poster as well. Eighty percent of the 2,804 auditorium seats were filled for that Sunday evening’s last Distinguished Concerts International performance for the 2007-08 season.

The DPC only got to rehearse with the 30-piece New York orchestra one time before the performance. Before, rehearsal was limited to a piano accompaniment. Soloists performing with the group were soprano Kristen Plumley, mezzo-soprano Jodi Karem, tenor Todd Miller and bass Michael Ventura.

Hank Dahlman was a guest conductor at the concert. In addition to directing the DPC, he is professor of music, director of choral studies and director of graduate studies in music at Wright State.

“It was very exciting,” Beery said. “It took me 53 years, but I can say I sang at Carnegie Hall. Within an hour of performing, we were invited to come back.”

So if you visit New York during the summer of 2010, you might see a large poster outside of the main stage of Lincoln Center announcing a performance by the Dayton Philharmonic Chorus.