Chorus of Westerly Second Annual Oktoberfest

Description

  Chorus of Westerly Presents: Second Annual Oktoberfest
 
WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND – The general public is invited to celebrate fall with the Chorus of Westerly on Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 4 pm to 7 pm as part of the second annual Chorus of Westerly Oktoberfest in the George Kent Performance Hall. 

For Oktoberfest, the Chorus of Westerly’s historic George Kent Performance Hall will be transformed into one of the great beer halls of Munich complete with long tables, soaring blue and white decorations (the colors of Bavaria), and the smell of German food cooking on outdoor grills.  Oktoberfest will feature a menu of grilled sausages, chicken, potatoes, and other traditional Bavarian fare.  The menu will be augmented by flavorful Oktoberfest style beer, wine, and warm cider. Members of The Westerly Band will be on hand to present tradition Bavarian and oompah music to round out the atmosphere.

Oktoberfest is being held both as celebration of fall and as a fundraiser for the Chorus of Westerly to support its 52nd performance season.  General admission tickets for Oktoberfest are $20 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 16.  Children under the age of 8 are admitted free. For $50, the Chorus is offering a “family ticket” that includes admittance of two adults and two children under age 16.  With the purchase of adult tickets, guests who are 21 and over (and who have proper ID) will be entitled to one free glass of beer or wine at the event.  Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Chorus at 401.596.8663 or online at www.chorusofwesterly.org. Tickets will also be available at the door beginning at 2 pm. 

“This should be a great event for the entire family,” states Ryan Saunders, Executive Director of the Chorus of Westerly.  “Every person who passes through the door will get a great meal, spend time with great friends, and get a chance to support the Chorus.”   Saunders also notes that guests can come for a short time and have a quick meal or stay at the event for the full three hours.  “We encourage people to come for a half an hour or for the entire time.  We will be celebrating the entire time.”

The proceeds from Oktoberfest will go directly to the Chorus of Westerly’s operational fund which supports its regular season programming. The Chorus, a not for profit performing arts organization, will present as part of its regular program this year: Come Ye Sons of Art by Purcell and Cantata 191 -Gloria by J.S. Bach with full professional orchestra and soloists in November, two Christmas Pops performances in December (also with full professional orchestra), its popular A Celebration of Twelfth Night in January (with over 300 actors, musicians, dancers, and acrobats), and the Brahms Requiem in May (with full professional orchestra), and Summer Pops in June (complete with professional orchestra, fireworks, cannons, and more).   Money raised at the Oktoberfest will augment the Chorus of Westerly’s normal fundraising efforts to help produce its special concert season.

Oktoberfest will take place in the George Kent Performance Hall, 119 High Street, Westerly.  The George Kent Performance Hall is handicapped accessible.

For further information about Oktoberfest or for subscription/single tickets to Chorus performances, please call Lee Eastbourne at the Chorus of Westerly Box Office at 401.596.8663 or visit chorusofwesterly.org.
 
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The Chorus of Westerly is a 190-voice performing arts organization located in Westerly, Rhode Island.  Founded in 1959 by music director George Kent, the Chorus of Westerly is the nation’s only independent intergenerational chorus.  This means that the 80 child/teenage members of the Chorus of Westerly sing alongside the 110 adult members on every performance throughout the concert season regardless of work, difficulty, or demands.  This a practice that is, in this day and age, unheard of in the American performing arts industry and one that has made the Chorus of Westerly unique among its peers.  The Chorus of Westerly’s season now includes three classical concert series, a Christmas Pops concert series, seven performances of A Celebration of Twelfth Night, the annual Summer Pops performance in Wilcox Park (with audiences of 25,000 annually), and several choral workshop weeks at Camp Ogontz in New Hampshire.  The Chorus of Westerly is also one of only two choral organizations to own and operate their own performance venue.  The historic George Kent Performance Hall, located at 119 High Street in Westerly, has been owned by the Chorus since the early 1990s and, in previous iterations as Westerly’s Immaculate Conception Church and the Westerly Center of the Arts, has been its regular performance home since the 1960s.  The facility was expanded and renovated over the last decade thanks to the community’s generous support to a major building capital campaign.  For more information on the Chorus of Westerly, its programs, or the George Kent Performance Hall, please visit http://www.chorusofwesterly.org or call 401.596.8663.
 
Press contact:
Lee Eastbourne
Operations and Marketing Manager
The Chorus of Westerly
119 High Street
Westerly, RI 02891
Tel: 401.596.8663
Email: lee@chorusofwesterly.org
http://www.chorusofwesterly.org
Ryan Saunders
Executive Director
The Chorus of Westerly
119 High Street
Westerly, RI 02891
Tel: 401.596.8663
Email: ryan@chorusofwesterly.org
http://www.chorusofwesterly.org
Lee Eastbourne
Operations and Marketing Manager
The Chorus of Westerly
119 High Street
Westerly, RI 02891
Phone: 401-596-8663
Fax: 401-596-1370
lee@chorusofwesterly.org
www.chorusofwesterly.org