The Gershwins® Porgy and Bess (SM)in honor of Black History Month presented by the Turtle Creek Chorale

In celebration of Black History Month, the Turtle Creek Chorale presents a concert version of The Gershwins® Porgy and Bess (SM). The principal roles will be performed by South Africian students from Meadows School of the Arts at SMU. Choruses sung by the 100-voices of Chamber Chorus and one Achord from the Turtle Creek Chorale. The concert benefits the Bruce Foote Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides SMU music scholarships to minority students.

DALLAS, TX (PRWEB) January 24, 2004 --In celebration of Black History Month, the Turtle Creek Chorale presents a concert version of The Gershwins® Porgy and Bess (SM). This one-night-only event is Sunday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and is sponsored by The Dallas Morning News. The concert benefits the Bruce Foote Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for minority students at Southern Methodist Universitys Meadows School of the Arts.

The principal roles will be sung by graduate students from South Africa currently studying at SMU. This group of students will be departing March 1 on a concert tour, performing this same concert in four cities throughout South Africa. The Turtle Creek Chorales Chamber Chorus and One Achord will provide the one hundred-voice chorus for the Dallas performance.

An American musical masterpiece, The Gershwins® Porgy and Bess (SM) is a timeless love story set in Charlestons Catfish Row. Weaving together themes of pride, prejudice, pathos, and passion, its thrilling and heartwarming score is a perfect vehicle for celebrating our heritage in honor of Black History Month. The concert version includes many of the Gershwins classic songs including Summertime; I Got Plenty O Nuttin; It Aint Necessarily So; I Loves You, Porgy; My Mans Gone Now; and Theres a Boat Dats Leavin Soon for New York.

Coloratura Soprano Tiffany Roberts, a recent soloist on the Turtle Creek Chorales holiday concerts and television special, will sing the role of Clara, opening the concert with the most famous excerpt from the opera, Summertime."

The opportunity to present a work like Porgy and Bess featuring an incredibly talented group of young students is a dream come true for the TCC," said TCC artistic director Dr. Timothy Seelig." Not only will the evening be a thrilling musical event, but will benefit the ongoing study of these worthy young singers and others like them. To send them on their way in a triumphant return to their homeland is icing on the cake. It will be an evening not to be missed."

Ticket prices range from $15 to $48 and can be purchased online at www.turtlecreek.org or by calling 800-494-8497.

With 31 CDs in release, the Turtle Creek Chorale is the most-recorded male chorus in history and has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe. In 1995, the Turtle Creek Chorale was the subject of an Emmy Award-winning television documentary After Goodbye: An AIDS Story". More than 200 members volunteer in excess of 100,000 hours annually to community service and performance.

For more information about the Turtle Creek Chorale visit www.turtlecreek.org,

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