Musica Sacra (New York City)

Last updated

Musica Sacra is the longest continuously performing professional chorus in New York City. [1] [ unreliable source? ] Its founder, Richard Westenburg, directed the chorus from 1964 until 2007, when he was succeeded as director by Kent Tritle. [2] The chorus regularly performs in Carnegie Hall [2] [3] [4] [5] and other New York concert halls. [6]

Musica Sacra is not associated with the chorus of the same name in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolaus Harnoncourt</span> Austrian conductor (1929–2016)

Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble, Concentus Musicus Wien, in 1953, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement. Around 1970, Harnoncourt began conducting opera and concert performances, soon leading international symphony orchestras, and appearing at leading concert halls, operatic venues and festivals. His repertoire then widened to include composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2001 and 2003, he conducted the Vienna New Year's Concert. Harnoncourt was also the author of several books, mostly on subjects of performance history and musical aesthetics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. D. Q. Bach</span> Fictitious composer

P. D. Q. Bach is a fictional composer invented by the American musical satirist Peter Schickele, who developed a five-decade-long career performing the "discovered" works of the "only forgotten son" of the Bach family. Schickele's music combines parodies of musicological scholarship, the conventions of Baroque and Classical music, and slapstick comedy. The name "P. D. Q." is a parody of the three-part names given to some members of the Bach family that are commonly reduced to initials, such as C. P. E., for Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach; PDQ is an initialism for "pretty damned quick".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Tilson Thomas</span> American conductor, pianist and composer (b1944)

Michael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy based in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony, and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony Center</span> Concert hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Symphony Center is a music complex located at 220 South Michigan Avenue in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus; Civic Orchestra of Chicago; and the Institute for Learning, Access, and Training; Symphony Center includes the 2,522-seat Orchestra Hall, which dates from 1904; Buntrock Hall, a rehearsal and performance space; Grainger Ballroom, an event space overlooking Michigan Avenue and the Art Institute of Chicago; a public multi-story rotunda; Forte restaurant and café; and administrative offices. In June 1993, plans to significantly renovate and expand Orchestra Hall were approved and the $110 million project resulting in Symphony Center began in 1995 and was completed in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">András Schiff</span> Hungarian-born British pianist

Sir András Schiff is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize, and was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to music. He is also known for his public criticism of political movements in Hungary and Austria.

Concentus Musicus Wien (CMW) is an Austrian baroque music ensemble based in Vienna. The CMW is recognized as a pioneer of the period-instrument performance movement.

The Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City, formed in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Bailey (conductor)</span>

Mark Bailey is an American conductor and baroque violist. He is the founder and artistic director of the American Baroque Orchestra. Bailey specializes in Slavic music of the 17th and 18th centuries, in addition to baroque, classical, and romantic repertoire, and is the current director of the Yale Russian Chorus. Bailey frequently guest conducts ensembles such as the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Cappella Romana, The Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Pro Coro Canada. He often gives presentations on Slavic baroque music and historical performance practice, and has been a principal guest speaker for the Great Performers series, the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in New York City, the 2016 Musicking Conference at the University of Oregon, and the Indiana University International Performance Practice Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Herrick</span> English concert organist and conductor

Christopher Herrick is an English concert organist best known for his interpretation of J.S. Bach’s organ music and for his many recordings on the finest pipe organs from around the world.

The Grand Rapids Symphony is a professional orchestra located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1930, the Symphony is celebrating its 90th anniversary season in 2019-20. In 2006, its recording Invention and Alchemy was nominated for Best Classical Crossover Album at the Grammy Awards. The Grands Rapids Symphony presents more than 400 performances throughout Michigan each year, reaching over 200,000 people, and is heard in West Michigan on broadcasts by WBLU-FM (88.9) and WBLV-FM (90.3). The organization also implements 18 educational and access programs that benefit over 80,000 Michigan residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andris Nelsons</span> Latvian conductor (born 1978)

Andris Nelsons is a Latvian conductor who is currently the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He has previously served as music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, and music director of the Latvian National Opera.

Musica Sacra is a mixed choral ensemble based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1959, and has been under the direction of Mary Beekman since 1979. Despite its name, the chorus performs both sacred and secular music, spanning five centuries. Its performances, typically in First Church Congregational in Cambridge, are frequently reviewed by the local media. The group has also performed at the invitation of institutions such as the Boston Early Music Festival; WGBH Radio; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University.

Eunice Alberts (1927–2012) was an American contralto who had an active career as a concert soloist and opera singer during the 1950s through the 1980s.

The American Classical Orchestra is an orchestra dedicated to performing music from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. As a period instrument ensemble, ACO’s mission is to present the music as the composers might have heard it in their time using instruments and techniques from when the music was written. The American Classical Orchestra strives to present historically-informed performances that add to the cultural landscape of NYC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Westenburg</span> American choral conductor

Richard Westenburg was a lauded American choral conductor. He notably founded the Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra in 1964, serving as its director until 2007 when Kent Tritle took over as director. He also founded the Basically Bach Festival at Lincoln Center in 1979, running the festival for a decade. He served as the music director of the Collegiate Chorale from 1973 to 1979 and was a popular lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1979 to 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bach Choir of Bethlehem</span>

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest Bach choir in the United States. Dating back to 1712, according to the choir's archives, it was formally founded in 1898 by Central Moravian Church organist John Frederick Wolle, and was established at roughly the same time as Bethlehem Steel, which first began operations in 1899.

Mariam Nazarian a.k.a. Marie Nazar is a concert pianist and producer; she is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music, Harvard University, and University of Cambridge. Nazarian has performed at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall (Boston), and the Grand Philharmonic Hall. She has recorded a commercially released CD of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations.

Gene Scheer is an American songwriter, librettist and lyricist. Brother to Samuel Scheer, an English teacher at Windsor High School and part-time musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Wachner</span> American classical composer

Julian James Wachner is an American composer, conductor, and keyboardist. From 2011 to 2022, he served as the Director of Music and the Arts at Trinity Wall Street, conducting the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, and NOVUS NY. Wachner recorded five albums with these ensembles, primarily for the Musica Omnia label. From 2008 to 2017, he served as the Director of The Washington Chorus. In March 2018, Wachner was named Artistic Director of the Grand Rapids Bach Festival, an affiliate of the Grand Rapids Symphony, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Ken-David Masur is a German-born American conductor.

References

  1. "Musica Sacra website" . Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  2. 1 2 Oestreich, James R. (21 December 2008). "Comfort Ye, Nuance Shall Be Exalted". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  3. Midgette, Anne (23 December 2006). "A 'Messiah' With Silvery Sopranos, Flowing Lines and No Bombast". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  4. Kozinn, Allan (21 December 2007). "With Vigor Once Again, Only a Little Bit Different". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  5. Tommasini, Anthony (10 April 2008). "For a Beloved Conductor, Bach's Monument of Music". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  6. Oestreich, James R. (25 October 2008). "A Decisive Bach Moment, Delivered With Drama". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-07-15.