Rome & the renaissance

Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension

Music by Palestrina, Victoria, and more

This a cappella concert celebrates the glories of Renaissance Rome, home to some of the most beloved and enduring vocal compositions of all time. The concert features works by the “Prince of Music,” Giovanni Palestrina.

Also featured will be Tomás Luis de Victoria, a Spaniard by birth who spent the peak of his career working as Maestro di Capella in cathedrals throughout Rome.

St. Matthew passion

Thursday, March 13, 2025, 7:00 pm*
Church of the Ascension

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is perhaps the most beloved in his tremendous canon of works for chorus and orchestra. Across a full riveting evening, the piece  unfolds using two orchestras, two choruses, a children’s chorus, dramatic characters, narration, and exquisite baroque aria performances.

The full scope of Bach’s unmatched talent for marrying compositional complexity with profound emotional expression come together to tell the timeless story of the Passion narrative.

*Please note the early start time

voices of mannahatta

Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension

Works by Raven Chacon and Andrew Balfour
World premiere composition by Danielle Jagelski
Video Art by Sage Ahebah Addington
Hai-Ting Chinn, Curator, Voices of The New

In collaboration with The Eagle Project—NYC's only Lenape-led performing arts organization—Voices of Mannahatta will feature the multimedia world premiere by composer Danielle Olana Jagelski (Oneida/Ojibwe). Written for five Indigenous classical singers from the Mvskogee, Acoma Pueblo, Cherokee, Anishinaabe, and Taíno Nations, the composition is accompanied by a five-octave marimba and vibraphone, with video imagery created by visual artist Sage Ahebah Addington (Diné). In addition to her role as composer, Danielle will serve as the concert’s artistic director and conductor for a program that includes works by Raven Chacon (Diné) and Andrew Balfour (Cree).

american voices

Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension

Music by Samuel Barber, Charles Ives, Randall Thompson, Bora Yoon, Moses Hogan, Gian Carlo Menotti, and more

This concert will traverse the full range of American choral music, celebrating the rich diversity of Americans with roots in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Featuring Charles Ives’s Psalm 90 and Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, the program will also include the evocative sounds of contemporary Korean-American composer Bora Yoon; a panorama of African-American spiritual arrangements by Harry Burleigh, William Dawson, and Moses Hogan; and the motets of Gian Carlo Menotti. A highlight of the evening will be a rare performance of Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei, which is the choral version of his beloved and deeply moving Adagio for Strings.