Oratorio Society Concert Rescheduled for MLK Jr. Day

The University of Maine School of Performing Arts’ presentation of “Ein deutsches Requiem” by Johannes Brahms has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 in the 900-seat Hampden Academy Performing Arts Center in Hampden.

Retiring Professor Ludlow Hallman will conduct the Oratorio Society Concert, which is dedicated to the memory of those killed during the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Jan. 20 was chosen as the new concert date in tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Kelly Scheetz, soprano; and Justin Zang, baritone, will be soloists.

Brahms’ Opus 45 is a prayer for the souls of the departed. “Brahms’ text addresses those who are left behind, with words of comfort and consolation,” Hallman says. “It is a very personal and heartfelt master work. He envisioned it as a work for all of humanity, transcending specific religious belief or nationality.”

Hallman has conducted the University Orchestra, an auditioned group of 45 musicians, and the Oratorio Society, a mixed choral ensemble of community members and university students. He has also directed the Opera Workshop, chaired UMaine’s Music Department and served as resident director of the New England Universities in Salzburg program — which was the immersion training for students of German. In addition, he has conducted and directed music for multiple operas and musical comedies and served as assistant conductor of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.

Admission is $10, free with a student MaineCard. For tickets or disability accommodations, call 207.581.1755. Tickets will also be available at the door prior to the performance.