The Verdi Requiem

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 at 7:30 PM in The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts & Sciences

Come early at 6:00 PM for a pre-concert performance in the lobby by the Keegan Peck Quartet!

PRESENTED BY ROBINSON & MALONE DENTISTRY:

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) is one of the most prolific operatic composers in music history. His Messa da Requiem is a Catholic funeral mass with an operatic flair. Verdi wrote the piece in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian humanist writer who promoted the ideology of “Risorgimento,” the unification of Italy. The requiem combines dramatic emotion with liturgical introspection, reflecting on the spiritual journey of life, death, and redemption. It celebrates the realization of idealistic humanism and nationalism through the 1870 unification of Italy, while contending with the pain points of a young nation. The instrumentation calls for four vocal soloists, a large chorale, and an orchestra. Verdi’s critics felt the requiem was too operatic to be performed in churches, and Verdi chose to defy cultural norms at the time by writing for female soloists. Nevertheless, the piece is considered to be the most performed choral work composed after the works of Mozart.

Verdi – Messa da Requiem

The Lubbock Chorale

David Cho, conductor

This performance is also made possible in part by The CH Foundation; Helen Jones Foundation, Inc.; the Lubbock Symphony Guild; the Texas Commission on the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts, and a grant by the City of Lubbock as recommended by Civic Lubbock, Inc.

This performance takes place in the Lubbock Cultural District.

Artist Bio

The Lubbock Chorale: The Lubbock Civic Chorale began in September 1976, following numerous enthusiastic performances by a “sing-along” group during the city’s Bicentennial celebration. That first group was only a handful of singers who had a dream of creating choral excellence on the South Plains. Over the years, the group grew to a viable force in Lubbock. In 1985, the Chorale was asked to perform with the Texas Tech University choirs and the University Symphony Orchestra in the annual Scholarship Concerts. The ensemble changed its name to The Lubbock Chorale in October 1992 and has steadily and consistently grown in stature and reputation to become a viable artistic force in the South Plains. Concert seasons now regularly include the presentation of choral masterworks with full symphony orchestras.

The Keegan Peck Quartet is a local Lubbock band that specializes in jazz standards. The band is comprised of Keegan Peck on vocals, Dr. Charles Whitehead on keys, Dustin Pedigo on bass, and Brian Tate on percussion. Keegan has been performing as a jazz vocalist around town for the last twelve years and has performed in over thirty different musicals. In addition to music and acting, he is a mechanical engineer and podcast producer. Dr. Charles Whitehead is an accomplished concert and jazz pianist who has played all over the world. He obtained his PhD in Fine Arts, Piano Performance from Texas Tech in 2019. Dustin Pedigo is an upright and electric bassist who has played in numerous bands and orchestras. He teaches third-grade science/social studies at Brown Elementary School. Brian Tate has drummed for many bands over the years. He is also an instructor in commercial music/drums at South Plains College.