Hear a clip of Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass!

Hear a clip of Paola Prestini’s The Glass Box

FROM ADVERSITY TO TRIUMPH: PRESTINI, BASSI & HAYDN

This Wednesday, November 9, 2022 @ 7:30 pm
One Night Only!
Church of the Ascension
W 10th St, 5th Ave
New York, NY 10011

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director

The Young People’s Chorus of NYC
Francisco Nuñez, Artistic Director

Kevork Mourad, Visual Artist

Liz Lang, Soprano
Barbara Rearick, Mezzo-soprano
Brandon Hynum, Tenor
Enrico Lagasca, Bass-Baritone

Program:
Paola Prestini | The Glass Box
James Bassi | Protect
Franz Joseph Haydn | “Lord Nelson” Mass.
Works by David Lang, Chen Yi, Richard Rodgers, Luis Kalaff, and Bienvenido Brens

Rescheduled from January 2022, Voices of Ascension and the extraordinary Young People’s Chorus of New York City perform The Glass Box, Paola Prestini’s gripping oratorio from 2018 about young refugees in Sweden. Voices will also give the world premiere of our own James Bassi’s Protect, a reflection on humanity’s collective struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evening culminates in brilliance and victory with Haydn’s magnificent “Lord Nelson” Mass.

Other Concerts in our 2022-23 Season

BACH: ST. JOHN PASSION

Thursday, March 9, 2023 @ 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
W 10th St, 5th Ave
New York, NY 10011

Johann Sebastian Bach | St. John Passion, BVW 245

Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor

Brian Giebler, tenor (Evangelist)
Matthew Curran, bass-baritone (Jesus)
Joseph Beutel, bass-baritone (Pilate)
Elisse Albian, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Stenson, tenor
Jason Eck, bass-baritone

Operatic in scale, Bach’s St. John Passion is a masterpiece of Baroque music. The chorus has two alternating roles: one as a “Greek Chorus” commenting on the scenes unfolding, and separately as the “crowd” participating in the events. From the first turbulent note of the orchestra, the music propels the narrative toward the inevitable tragic conclusion – and then, redemption.

Other Concerts in our 2022-23 Season

SERENADE TO MUSIC &
FAURÉ: REQUIEM

Thursday, April 20, 2023 @ 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
W 10th St, 5th Ave
New York, NY 10011

Ralph Vaughan Williams | Serenade to Music

Gustav Holst | Festival Te Deum

Charles Hubert Hastings Parry | Blest Pair of Sirens

Edgar Bainton | And I saw a new heaven

Gabriel Fauré | Requiem in D minor, Op.48

Serenity from Britain and France. Vaughan Williams’ lush Serenade to Music sets the tone of the British half of the concert. Other highlights include Hubert Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens, Holst's Festival Te Deum and Bainton’s And I saw a new heaven. Then, from France, we present one of the most beloved of all choral masterpieces, Fauré’s Requiem. Ethereal and tender, it portrays a serene and optimistic world, with some of the most expressive music ever written for chorus.

Other Concerts in our 2022-23 Season