Taconic Opera: World Premiere of New Oratorio - Enoch

Currently in its 15th season and the recipient of the
Westchester County 2012 Arts Organization of the Year Award, Taconic Opera will be performing the world premiere performance and professional recording of the oratorio Enoch by the company’s General and
Artistic Director, Dan Montez.  While both operas and oratorios are based on stories, operas deal more with history and mythology with a little bit of romance, deception and murder thrown in; oratorios most often contain sacred topics and the majority are based on biblical characters.  While both musical forms include an
orchestra, soloists and a chorus, opera is most often presented as musical theatre while oratorios are normally presented as concerts with no costumes, props or interactions between the characters.

Dan Montez’s Enoch is based on the life of the Old
Testament prophet, Enoch, the father of Methuselah, who mysteriouslydisappeared from the Book of Genesis without explanation.  Over 100 chapters of the Book of Enoch, lost
for almost 2000 years, were discovered recently and translated from Hebrew, Aramaic and Ethiopian (Geez).  Christian and Jewish scholars were surprised to find quotes from the Book of Enoch as many as 128 times in the Old Testament, more than any other book, and consider it to be scripture.  The story is the antithesis of the Sodom story inasmuch as a city becomes so righteous that is taken up into heaven.  Enoch is called as the first scribe of heaven and first author of scripture.  With a little help from Montez, the newly-discovered Enoch will now have his very own oratorio.  The work will feature the Taconic Opera chorus, professional lead singers and full orchestra.  Performances will be conducted under the baton of Dan Montez himself who is delighted to debut the
second of his oratorical compositions in Westchester County.  Enoch will be sung in English and its musical influences include Fauré, Ravel and Poulenc.  Those who come to the world premiere of the piece will have the opportunity to take part in the making of music history.

The company will be presenting two performances of the oratorio in two locations: Saturday, March 2, 2013, at 7:30pm at the Ossining United Methodist Church, 1 Emwilton Place/corner of Route 9, Ossining, NY; and Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 3:00pm at the White Plains Presbyterian Church, 39 North Broadway, White Plains, NY.  Tickets are $27, $20 for seniors and $15 for
students and can be purchased in advance online at www.taconicopera.org or by calling Taconic Opera’s toll-free number 1-855-886-7372.