The May Festival Chorus, led by music director James Conlon, has been invited to open Carnegie Hall's distinguished choral series next season.

        The chorus will perform Benjamin Britten's War Requiem in the legendary hall on Oct. 9 of the 2001-02 season, announced Tuesday in New York. The soloists will be soprano Marina Shaguch, tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson and baritone Olaf Bar.

        A grant of $115,000 from from the Corbett Foundation has made the trip possible. Carnegie Hall will provide one third of the estimated $300,000 tour expenses. Additional funding is being sought.

        The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the official orchestra of the May Festival, will appear with the chorus in its only appearance at Carnegie Hall next year. (Because CSO music director-designate Paavo Jarvi will be in his first season, the CSO will not appear separately at Carnegie Hall.)

        Preceding the New York trip, Maestro Conlon will conduct a CSO concert featuring the War Requiem with the May Festival Chorus on Oct. 5-6 in Music Hall, as part of the CSO's 2001-02 season.

        Although the May Festival Chorus has performed at Carnegie Hall three times before, this is the first invitation made directly to the chorus. Robert Porco is director of choruses.

        In 1975, the chorus made its Carnegie Hall debut performing Rossini's Stabat Mater with Thomas Schippers and the CSO. In 1991, the chorus returned with Jesus Lopez-Cobos and the CSO to perform Mendelssohn's Elijah.

        In 1995, the chorus gave a critically acclaimed performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, Symphony of a Thousand, under Robert Shaw, with the Cleveland Orchestra and other choruses.

        The chorus is made up of 150 volunteer members from the Tristate. It's now in its 128th year, making it the oldest continous choral festival in the Western Hemisphere.

        This year's Cincinnati May Festival will be May 18-26 in Music Hall. A special concert will take place May 20 at Isaac M. Wise (Plum Street) Temple, downtown.

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