The April 19th performance of Verdi's Requiem captivated its sellout Auditorium Theater audience with an astonishing tour de force of orchestra, choir and vocal soloists. Event sponsors McKnight Kurland Baccelli needed photography of the entire day's activities, from rehearsals to receptions. In between there was backstage prep, an impromtpu environmental portrait sitting, and a carefully assembled photo of the entire interior space during the performance itself.
Technical issues centered on access to good vantage points and a total prohibition on any kind of flash in the auditorium. Lighting was typical theatrical fare: Too much where it wasn't needed and never enough where it was. In addition, photography during the actual performance had to be utterly non-disruptive, meaning no blocking of audience views and exposures only captured during loud passages of music so that the shutter sound would be masked.
The final photos of applause and guest soloits taking their bows were the result of careful negotiations with the house manager allowing access to the theater's front row in the few moments after the music ended and the applause began.
All photos were captured on hi res digital and delivered as over three gigabytes of data on DVD the following day.