First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica will host “A Verdi Puccini Fest” on Nov. 12-13. (photo courtesy of the Verdi Chorus)

The Verdi Chorus’ 39th season culminates with “A Verdi Puccini Fest,” for two performances only at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica on Nov. 12-13. Led by founding artistic director Anne Marie Ketchum, the Verdi Chorus is the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus.

This program will feature selections from four Verdi operas – “I Lombardi,” “Don Carlo,” “Rigoletto” and “La traviata,” and sequences from Puccini’s “Turandot,” “La bohème,” “Suor Angelica,” “Tosca,” “La fanciulla del West” and “La rondine.”

The program will also feature three guest soloists: Jamie Chamberlin Granner, her husband tenor Nathan Granner and baritone Ben Lowe.

“Both Verdi and Puccini were masters of writing operatic music that was extremely theatrical,” Ketchum said. “Verdi is known for melody, and Puccini is known for dramatically writing for the orchestra with his striking use of colors and rhythm in a rich theatrical style. They are truly deserving of being referred to as two of the greatest opera composers that ever lived. In terms of the opera chorus, Verdi wrote for the chorus as an actual character and force in what the leading characters were saying and doing, and Puccini wrote musical tones and hues for the chorus to illustrate more deeply the story being told.”

Performance times are Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica, located at 1220 2nd Street, Santa Monica. Tickets are now available for purchase at verdichorus.org.