On Tuesday 18 September, the Monteverdi ensembles will bring their Verdi Requiem tour to London’s Westminster Cathedral, in a concert dedicated to the memory of long-standing stage manager Richard Fitzgerald, who sadly passed away from lung cancer in August 2016. All profits from the event will be donated to Cancer Research UK.
‘Richard was one of the most consistently level-headed, collegial and decent human beings you could ever wish to encounter. As stage manager of the Monteverdi Choir and its twin orchestras for fifteen years Richard gave loyal and dedicated service, often under very trying and pressurised circumstances. To assist and enable musicians to give their best in performance or on tour Richard surmounted all the really tough physical and psychological demands of the job magnificently, always with good grace, tolerance and exemplary professionalism. None of us can thank him enough for that. Richard will be sorely missed.’
Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Marking 20 years since the Monteverdi ensembles’ last London performance of Verdi’s monumental work which took place at St Paul’s Cathedral on 13 July 1998 - this special evening will be the only UK date on a European tour that will visit a prestigious roster of major European venues. The series of performances will open in Wroclaw on 16 September to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Poland, continue in Lucerne, Vienna, Budapest, Munich and Luxembourg before concluding at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam in November.
Please save the date - More details of when tickets go on sale and how to book will be announced soon
If you would like to make a donation to Cancer Research UK in honour of Richard, please visit our Just Giving page.