The Schiller Institute NYC Chorus was honored to participate in the gala NYC opening of the Red Swa Gallery exhibition of fine art on Thursday, November 2, 2023, including with the presentation of traditional folk songs and a choral Spiritual. The exhibit took place at the Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church Social Hall at 152 W 66th St, New York, NY.

Here is a view of the exhibit before opening.

The event was hosted by Red Swa founder and director Liana Viazovskaia. The gala opening combined lecture, music, food and a tour of the exhibit, with several of the esteemed artists present. 

Presentations by the Schiller Chorus included the choral Spiritual, Deep River,

the traditional Russian song of hope, Burn, Burn, My Star (Гори, гори, моя звезда), 
https://vimeo.com/881275084/6b78df8e54?share=copy

and a traditional Chinese song, The Sycamore Tree (桐 树),
https://vimeo.com/877239374/a47bf76eca?share=copy (rehearsal video).

Ms Viazovskaia guided attendees throughout the evening in a magnificent tour of the exhibit. Other presenters included Richard Black from the International Schiller Institute, who spoke of Friedrich Schiller's concept of Beauty; and Prof. L. Gervits, who explained that the red thread evident throughout the exhibit hall (see photos), represented the irony that in the Russia language, red and beauty have essentially the same word. Красный, red, and красивый, beautiful. And that all true art, as Schiller also emphasized, must have a red thread of beauty running through it.