The Cecilia Chorus of New York, formerly known as the St. Cecilia Chorus, is an avocational chorus and nonprofit organization based in New York City.
With a membership of approximately 180 singers, the chorus performs twice annually at Carnegie Hall with a professional orchestra and soloists, as well as at other New York–area venues. [1] [2]
A secular, unaffiliated organization, the Chorus was founded in 1906 as a women's chorus. Its nucleus formed in 1900 when a small group of women began meeting to sing together at each other's Manhattan homes on Tuesday mornings. The principal organizers were Susan Warren and Mrs. Henry Burden; the pianist and leader was Elliot Schenck. Warren, Burden and their colleagues established an all-women's chorus which they named the Tuesday Morning Singing Club. Membership was by invitation only, and rehearsals were held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In 1906, the Tuesday Morning Singing Club invited Metropolitan Opera coach Victor Harris [3] to be their conductor. Harris accepted on the conditions that rehearsals be held at his studio and that the musical work be in earnest. Thus was the "Saint Cecilia Club" founded in 1906. Under Harris's leadership the Saint Cecilia Club grew rapidly to become a prominent choral organization in New York City.
In 1922, while still a women's group (as it remained until 1965), the Chorus won significant attention when it appeared with The Philharmonic Society of New York under Willem Mengelberg in the first New York performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3. During this period, the Chorus gave several dozen world and U.S. premieres, [4] by composers including Amy Beach, Deems Taylor, and Virgil Thomson. [3]
Harris continued as the Chorus's Music Director until 1936; he was succeeded by Léon Barzin (1936–37), Willard Sektberg (1937–42), [5] Hugh Ross (1942–195?), David Buttolph (195?–1965), [6] David Randolph (1965–2010) and Mark Shapiro (since 2011). [7]
In 1965, when David Buttolph resigned, Chorus members recalled that they had enjoyed working with David Randolph when he substituted at a rehearsal in October 1959. The Chorus tapped Randolph to become their sixth Music Director; he continued in this role until his death in 2010. [3] Under Randolph's direction, the Chorus grew in size and ability, and in 1969 performed its first concert in Carnegie Hall. In addition to its twice-yearly Carnegie Hall concerts, some of which were broadcast live on WNYC Radio, Randolph led the Chorus in other major venues, including Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall (now David Geffen Hall).
In April 1981, prompted by the popularity of the Broadway play Amadeus , the Chorus performed a program in Carnegie Hall featuring the U.S. premiere of Antonio Salieri's Mass No. 1 juxtaposed with Mozart's Great Mass in C minor . The program was broadcast on WNYC. Amadeus author Peter Shaffer attended and spoke from the stage. [3]
In December 1986, also in Carnegie Hall, the Chorus gave the North American premiere of Oratorium nach Bildern der Bibel by Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of Felix Mendelssohn. [3]
During his 37 years with The Masterwork Chorus, Randolph specialized in conducting Handel's Messiah. These performances became a seasonal tradition in New York City. In 1995, Randolph directed the St. Cecilia Chorus in its first performances of Messiah. The two performances at Carnegie Hall were notably successful. By popular demand the work was brought back for two performances on December 20, 1997, and for performances led by Randolph in 2005 and 2008, and by his successor Mark Shapiro in 2011, 2013, 2015 and subsequently. [8]
In 1993, members of the Chorus made a recording with Liza Minnelli for the benefit of AIDS research. In 1996, a small group of Chorus members appeared as Christmas carolers in The Preacher's Wife , a major motion picture starring Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington. [3]
During Randoph's tenure, the Chorus also performed under other conductors including Lukas Foss, John Alldis, John Nelson, Romano Gandolfi [it] (La Scala), Peter Tiboris, and Eve Queler (Opera Orchestra of New York).[3]
In July 2011, after a national search, Mark Shapiro was appointed the seventh Music Director of the Chorus. In 2012, to more clearly represent its secular, unaffiliated mission, the Chorus changed its name to The Cecilia Chorus of New York. [3]
Under Shapiro, the Chorus, while maintaining its engagement with standard repertoire, embarked on a new path of commissioning and premiering works at Carnegie Hall as well as other venues. Concurrently, the Chorus revitalized its commitment to showcasing neglected masterpieces from the past. Commissioned composers have included The Brothers Balliett, Jonathan Breit, Tom Cipullo, Raphael Fusco and Zaid Jabri. The Chorus's performance of Tom Cipullo's Credo for a Secular City (2014) was honored in 2015 with the Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award. [9]
Other notable accomplishments include the long-delayed New York premieres, both in Carnegie Hall, of two major works by Dame Ethel Smyth: the Mass in D (1891), which the Chorus performed in 2013, and The Prison (1930), which the Chorus performed in 2018. In 2012 the Chorus presented a rare revival of The Christmas Story (1949) by neglected American composer Peter Mennin, a former president of The Juilliard School, and a Marian Trilogy by early Baroque composer Isabella Leonarda. In 2018, the Chorus gave the North American premiere of the Messe Romane by Thierry Escaich. The Chorus's 2019 performance of a program in tribute to Walt Whitman, including a premiere by Jorge Martín and music by the neglected nineteenth century American composer John Knowles Paine, was broadcast on the public radio series "Pipe Dreams."
In March 2020, on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged New York City as well as many other localities, the Chorus performed The Belshazzar Project, a curated evening in five languages of settings of the Belshazzar story from The Book of Daniel ("You are weighed in the balance, and found wanting."). Composers included Alexandre Guilmant, G. F. Handel, Arseny Koreshchenko, Gioacchino Rossini and Robert Schumann, as well as Johnny Cash, Penny Prince and Harold Rome. The program additionally featured spoken texts by Byron, Dickinson and others, which were read by actor Kathleen Chalfant.
Below is a list of performances since 1966.
Performances from 2011 and later conducted by Mark Shapiro, unless otherwise indicated.
Performances from 1966 through 2010 conducted by David Randolph, unless otherwise indicated.
Composer | Work | Performance date | Venue |
Ames, David | "Ode for St. Cecilia's Day" (world premiere) | March 4, 2001 | Church of the Heavenly Rest |
Bach, CPE | Magnificat | December 6, 2006 | Carnegie Hall |
Bach, JCF | Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme | December 10, 2016 | Carnegie Hall |
Bach, JE | Meine Seele erhebet den Herren | December 10, 2016 | Carnegie Hall |
Bach, JS | Cantata No. 4, "Christ lag in Todesbanden" | April 16, 1977 | Carnegie Hall |
Cantata No. 8, "Liebster Gott" | Mar 5, 1995 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
Cantata No. 21, "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" | February 25, 2007 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
Cantata No. 50, "Nun ist das Heil" | March 13, 1967 | The Town Hall | |
Cantata No. 104, "Du Hirte Israel, höre" | February 28, 1966 | Hunter College | |
Cantata No. 106, "Gottes Zeit" | January 17, 1971 | Riverside Church | |
March 27, 1971 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Cantata No. 140, "Wachet auf" | March 18, 1968 | The Town Hall | |
Cantata No. 147, "Herz und Mund" | April 19, 1975 | Carnegie Hall | |
Christmas Oratorio | December 16, 1973 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 17, 1977 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 20, 1980 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 21, 1985 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 16, 1988 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 22, 1990 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 9, 1993 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 20, 1996 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 23, 2001 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 10, 2004 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 7, 2007 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 23, 2010 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Patrick Gardner, conductor | |||
December 9, 2017 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Magnificat, BWV 243 | March 2, 1970 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 17, 1982 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 7, 2002 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 10, 2016 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Mass in B minor | April 7, 1979 | Carnegie Hall | |
April 6, 1984 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 20, 1990 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 12, 2000 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 8, 2010 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Patrick Gardner, conductor | |||
Passion According to St. John | March 25, 1972 | Carnegie Hall | |
April 10, 1992 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Passion According to St. Matthew | April 4, 1987 | Carnegie Hall | |
May 14, 2004 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Balliett, Brad & Doug | Oedipus the King (world premiere) | March 12, 2017 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
Beach, Amy | The Chambered Nautilus | January 21, 1908 | The Waldorf Astoria (Premiere) |
Victor Harris, conductor | |||
1931 | |||
Beethoven | Choral Fantasy | April 25, 1976 | Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center |
May 2, 2015 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Elegischer Gesang | April 8, 1978 | Carnegie Hall | |
Fidelio (Finale) | May 2, 2015 | Carnegie Hall | |
Mass in C Major | March 2, 1970 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 16, 1983 | Carnegie Hall | ||
March 5, 2000 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
February 22, 2009 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Patrick Gardner, conductor | |||
May 2, 2015 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Missa solemnis | May 7, 1988 | Carnegie Hall | |
May 22, 1988 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Lukas Foss, conductor | |||
April 25, 1998 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 6, 2016 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Opferlied | April 8, 1978 | Carnegie Hall | |
Symphony No. 9 ("Choral") | March 12, 1989 | Carnegie Hall | |
Lukas Foss, conductor | |||
May 12, 2001 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 28, 2006 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Berlioz | Messe Solennelle | March 2, 2003 | Church of the Heavenly Rest |
Requiem | May 10, 1991 | Carnegie Hall | |
April 20, 1996 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Te Deum | March 2, 1986 | St. George's Church | |
March 30, 1986 | Carnegie Hall | ||
John Nelson, conductor | |||
Bernstein | Chichester Psalms | January 17, 1971 | Riverside Church |
February 10, 1989 | Stephen Wise Synagogue | ||
February 26, 1989 | St. Bartholomew's Church | ||
March 12, 1989 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Lukas Foss, conductor | |||
February 24, 2008 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Billings | David's Lamentation | March 18, 1968 | The Town Hall |
Brahms | Gesang der Parzen | May 7, 2005 | Carnegie Hall |
Nänie | January 16, 1972 | Riverside Church | |
April 30, 1999 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 7, 2005 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 25, 2014 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Requiem | April 25, 1976 | Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center | |
May 2, 1976 | St. George's Church | ||
April 29, 1989 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 30, 1999 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 7, 2005 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 6, 2017 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Schicksalslied | April 11, 1980 | Carnegie Hall | |
April 30, 1999 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 18, 2009 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Breit, Jonathan | Der Zippelfagottist | December 10, 2016 | Carnegie Hall |
Bruckner | Christus Factus Est | January 17, 1971 | Riverside Church |
Mass in E minor | May 14, 1983 | Carnegie Hall | |
Missa solemnis | March 6, 1994 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
Te Deum | April 25, 2014 | Carnegie Hall | |
Byrd, William | Sing Joyfully | March 1, 2015 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
Cipullo, Tom | Credo for a Secular City | April 25, 2014 | Carnegie Hall |
Charpentier | "Midnight Mass" for Christmas Eve | December 15, 1979 | Carnegie Hall |
Cherubini | Requiem in C minor | March 3, 1985 | St. George's Church |
February 11, 1996 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Corigliano | Fern Hill | March 13, 1967 | The Town Hall |
Duruflé | Requiem | May 17, 1981 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
February 25, 1990 | St. Bartholomew's Church | ||
February 24, 2008 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Dvorák | Requiem | March 1, 1987 | St. George's Church |
June 12, 1990 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Will Kessling, conductor | |||
May 12, 1995 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Te Deum | March 7, 1993 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
Elgar | The Music Makers | May 12, 2001 | Carnegie Hall |
Escaich, Thierry | Messe Romane | March 3, 2018 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
Fauré | Cantique de Jean Racine | March 2, 1970 | Carnegie Hall |
April 27, 1974 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 20, 1984 | St. George's Church | ||
March 9, 1997 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
May 22, 2011 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Gerald Greland, conductor | |||
March 3, 2018 | Church of the Holy Trinity | ||
Madrigal | March 9, 1997 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
Pavane | March 9, 1997 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
May 22, 2011 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Gerald Greland, conductor | |||
Requiem | January 28, 1973 | Riverside Church | |
May 20, 1984 | St. George's Church | ||
June 21, 1988 | Avery Fisher Hall | ||
Peter Tiboris, conductor | |||
March 9, 1997 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
March 13, 2005 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
May 22, 2011 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Gerald Greland, conductor | |||
Finzi, Gerald | For St. Cecilia | December 8, 2000 | Carnegie Hall |
In Terra Pax: A Christmas Scene | December 8, 2000 | Carnegie Hall | |
Fusco, Raphael | Divis Cetera: an Ode from Mount Soracte | December 22, 2012 | Carnegie Hall |
Gabrieli | Jubilate Deo | December 15, 1979 | Carnegie Hall |
Gibbons, Orlando | Hosanna to the Son of David | March 1, 2015 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
O Clap Your Hands Together | March 1, 2015 | Church of the Holy Trinity | |
Gounod | Messe Solennelle | May 17, 1992 | St. Bartholomew's Church |
March 7, 1999 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
February 26, 2006 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Requiem | March 3, 2018 | Church of the Holy Trinity | |
Handel | Acis and Galatea | February 28, 1966 | Hunter College |
Coronation Anthems | December 13, 1975 | Carnegie Hall | |
Dettingen Te Deum | Dec 15, 1989 | Carnegie Hall | |
Dixit Dominus | December 15, 1979 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 20, 1991 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Israel in Egypt | April 7, 1973 | Carnegie Hall | |
April 4, 1982 | Ft. Hamilton, Brooklyn | ||
April 17, 1982 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 7, 1999 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Judas Maccabaeus | December 15, 1974 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 16, 1984 | Stephen Wise Synagogue | ||
December 19, 1984 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Messiah | Dec 23, 1995, 2:30 | Carnegie Hall | |
Dec 23, 1995, 8:00 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Dec 20, 1997, 2:30 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Dec 20, 1997, 8:00 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 10, 2005 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 13, 2008 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 9, 2011 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 13, 2013 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 15, 2013 | Tilles Center | ||
December 12, 2015 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 13, 2015 | Tilles Center | ||
Solomon | December 19, 1976 | Carnegie Hall | |
Haydn, Joseph | Die Beredsamkeit | September 22, 1994 | Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall |
Mass No. 5 in C, "Cäcilianmesse" | April 19, 1975 | Carnegie Hall | |
January 22, 1982 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 20, 1991 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Mass No. 9 in B Flat "Paukenmesse" | March 31, 1969 | Carnegie Hall | |
Mass No. 10 in B Flat "Heiligmesse" | April 8, 1978 | Carnegie Hall | |
Mass No. 11 in D minor, "Nelsonmesse" | February 28, 1966 | Hunter College | |
March 6, 1988 | St. George's Church | ||
Mass No. 12 in B Flat, "Theresienmesse" | December 6, 2003 | Carnegie Hall | |
Mass No. 13 in B Flat, "Schöpfungsmesse" | March 3, 2002 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
Te Deum | December 16, 1983 | Carnegie Hall | |
March 3, 1985 | St. George's Church | ||
Haydn, Michael | Requiem | March 3, 2002 | Church of the Heavenly Rest |
Honegger | King David | December 11, 1987 | Carnegie Hall |
Martin Bookspan, narrator | |||
January 29, 1988 | Stephen Wise Synagogue | ||
Hummel | Mass in B flat | December 10, 2009 | Carnegie Hall |
Isenberg, Rex | Messiahs False and True | March 6, 2016 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
Jabri, Zaid | A Garden Among the Flames (world premiere) | May 6, 2017 | Carnegie Hall |
Kay | "Allelulia, Give Ear" (from Choral Triptych) | March 2, 1970 | Carnegie Hall |
Kodály | Missa Brevis | March 10, 1991 | St. Bartholomew's Church |
Te Deum | January 16, 1972 | Riverside Church | |
April 29, 1989 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Lassus | Echo Song | Sep 22,1994 | Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall |
Mon Coeur | March 18, 1968 | the Town Hall | |
Sep 22,1994 | Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall | ||
Lauridsen, Morten | Lux Aeterna | April 9, 2011 | Carnegie Hall |
Leonarda, Isabella | Two Motets | December 22, 2012 | Carnegie Hall |
Mendelssohn, Fanny | Oratorium Nach Bildern der Bibel | December 20, 1986 | Carnegie Hall |
Mendelssohn, Felix | Die erste Walpurgisnacht | April 11, 1980 | Carnegie Hall |
April 29, 1994 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 4, 2007 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Elijah | March 23, 1986 | Stephen Wise Synagogue | |
April 5, 1986 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 19, 1992 | Carnegie Hall | ||
January 22, 1993 | Stephen Wise Synagogue | ||
Kyrie | November 4, 1978 | Carnegie Hall | |
January 21, 1979 | St. George's Church | ||
Lauda Sion | March 5, 2000 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
Symphony No. 2, "Lobgesang" | December 17, 1982 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 8, 2000 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Mennin, Peter | The Christmas Story | December 22, 2012 | Carnegie Hall |
Monteverdi | Lasciatemi morire | March 18, 1968 | The Town Hall |
Mozart | Ave Verum Corpus | December 13, 1975 | Carnegie Hall |
"Coronation" Mass, K. 317 | December 13, 1975 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 16, 1983 | Carnegie Hall | ||
February 22, 2009 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Patrick Gardner, conductor | |||
"Great" Mass in C minor, K. 427 | March 27, 1971 | Carnegie Hall | |
April 10, 1981 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 15, 1989 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 11, 1998 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 6, 2003 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 10, 2009 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Misericordias Domini, K. 222 | April 8, 1978 | Carnegie Hall | |
Regina Coeli | April 10, 1981 | Carnegie Hall | |
Requiem | March 13, 1967 | The Town Hall | |
May 14, 1983 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 11, 1998 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 7, 2002 | Carnegie Hall | ||
December 6, 2006 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 9, 2011 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 11, 2018 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Te Deum | January 28, 1973 | Riverside Church | |
Vesperae solemnes de confessore, K. 339 | March 31, 1969 | Carnegie Hall | |
April 8, 1978 | Carnegie Hall | ||
March 6, 1994 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
February 26, 2006 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
February 26, 2012 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Orff | Carmina Burana | April 29, 1994 | Carnegie Hall |
April 27, 2002 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 4, 2007 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Pergolesi | Magnificat | April 16, 1977 | Carnegie Hall |
Pinkham, Daniel | Christmas Cantata | December 15, 1979 | Carnegie Hall |
Poulenc | Gloria | December 15, 1994 | Carnegie Hall |
March 13, 2005 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
December 13, 2014 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Puccini | Edgar | October 8, 1977 | Brooklyn College |
Eve Queler, conductor | |||
Messa di Gloria | March 22, 1980 | Bridgeport, CT | |
Harrison Valente, conductor | |||
April 11, 1980 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 17, 1992 | St. Bartholomew's Church | ||
February 29, 2004 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Purcell | Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem | March 31, 1969 | Carnegie Hall |
Rachmaninoff | The Bells | April 27, 2002 | Carnegie Hall |
Randolph, David | Andante for Strings | December 8, 2000 | Carnegie Hall |
April 9, 2011 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Rutter | Gloria | May 2, 1997 | Carnegie Hall |
Saint-Saëns | Requiem | March 7, 1999 | Church of the Heavenly Rest |
Salieri | Grand Mass No. 1 in D | April 10, 1981 | Carnegie Hall |
May 17, 1981 | Church of the Holy Trinity | ||
Schubert | Mass No. 5 in A flat | December 20, 1986 | Carnegie Hall |
March 4, 2001 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Mass No. 6 in E flat | March 18, 1968 | The Town Hall | |
April 16, 1977 | Carnegie Hall | ||
March 8, 1998 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
February 21, 2010 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Stabat Mater | March 5, 1995 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
February 25, 2007 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
February 26, 2012 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
Smyth, Dame Ethel | Mass in D (New York premiere) | April 14, 2013 | Carnegie Hall |
The Prison | May 11, 2018 | Carnegie Hall | |
Tallis | Spem in Alium | November 4, 1978 | Carnegie Hall |
John Alldis, conductor | |||
Taylor, Deems | Highwayman | 1931 | |
Tchaikovsky | scenes from The Maid of Orleans | April 14, 2013 | Carnegie Hall |
Tomkins, Thomas | When David Heard | March 1, 2015 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
Telemann | Wie ist dein Name so gross | March 27, 1971 | Carnegie Hall |
Tye, Christopher | Give Almes of Thy Goods | March 1, 2015 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
Vaughan Williams | Dona Nobis Pacem | February 26, 1989 | St. Bartholomew's Church |
April 28, 2006 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Hodie | December 15, 1994 | Carnegie Hall | |
December 13, 2014 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Hodie (two movements) | March 1, 2015 | Church of the Holy Trinity | |
Mass in G minor | April 27, 1974 | Carnegie Hall | |
March 10, 1991 | St. Bartholomew's Church | ||
Serenade to Music | November 4, 1978 | Carnegie Hall | |
John Alldis, conductor | |||
January 21, 1979 | St. George's Church | ||
Symphony No. 1, A Sea Symphony | May 16, 1985 | Carnegie Hall | |
May 2, 1997 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 18, 2009 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Toward the Unknown Region | April 25, 2014 | Carnegie Hall | |
Verdi | Requiem | March 20, 1983 | Park Ave. Christian Church |
April 9, 1983 | Bridgeport, CT | ||
Romano Gandolfi, conductor | |||
April 17, 1993 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 2, 2003 | Carnegie Hall | ||
May 2, 2008 | Carnegie Hall | ||
April 21, 2012 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Stabat Mater | May 16, 1985 | Carnegie Hall | |
Te Deum | May 16, 1985 | Carnegie Hall | |
Vivaldi | Dixit Dominus | January 22, 1982 | Carnegie Hall |
February 25, 1990 | St. Bartholomew's Church | ||
Gloria | April 27, 1974 | Carnegie Hall | |
February 29, 2004 | Church of the Heavenly Rest | ||
December 22, 2012 | Carnegie Hall | ||
Magnificat | December 13, 1975 | Carnegie Hall | |
March 6, 1988 | St. George's Church | ||
Walton | Coronation Te Deum | November 4, 1978 | Carnegie Hall |
Weelkes, Thomas | Gloria in Excelsis Deo | March 1, 2015 | Church of the Holy Trinity |
Zelenka | Missa Dei Patris | March 7, 1993 | Church of the Heavenly Rest |
Zimmermann, H. W. | Psalmkonzert | March 31, 1969 | Carnegie Hall |
April 27, 1974 | Carnegie Hall |
An oratorio is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble.
Semele is a 'musical drama', originally presented "after the manner of an oratorio", in three parts by George Frideric Handel. Based on an existing opera libretto by William Congreve, the work is an opera in all but name but was first presented in concert form at Covent Garden theatre on 10 February 1744. The story comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses and concerns Semele, mother of Bacchus. Handel also referred to the work as 'The Story of Semele'. The work contains the famous aria "Where'er you walk".
The Crane School of Music is located in Potsdam, New York, and is one of three schools which make up the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam.
The Cincinnati May Festival is a two-week annual choral festival, held in May in Cincinnati, Ohio, US.
The BBC Symphony Chorus is a British amateur chorus based in London. It is the dedicated chorus for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, though it performs with other national and international orchestras.
Rutgers University Glee Club (RUGC) is a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is currently conducted by Dr. Brandon Williams. Dr. Patrick Gardner, the previous conductor, directed the group from 1994 - 2023.
Ecce Cor Meum is the fourth classical album by Paul McCartney. The album was released on 25 September 2006 by EMI Classics. An oratorio in four movements, it is produced by John Fraser, written in Latin and English, and scored for orchestra and boys and adult choir. The oratorio was partly inspired by McCartney's wife Linda. It is also the only classical album by McCartney that was not released on vinyl.
Pacific Edge Voices is a volunteer choral organization based in Berkeley, CA. The group was formed to provide a chorus of professional quality for highly skilled and experienced singers who did not wish to make singing a full-time profession. It was to be large enough to perform the major concert literature, but small enough to remain highly selective. PEV presents a wide range of choral musical styles, including, but not limited to, traditional choral literature, new works by contemporary composers and a cappella jazz and pop. PEV performs at least three self-produced concerts sets each year, along with various collaborations, often with prominent artists including Dave Brubeck, Meredith Monk, Kent Nagano & Sufjan Stevens. The first and second concerts of the year are classically oriented programs. Over the years these programs have tended toward 20th-century composers. The chorus has become known around the San Francisco Bay Area for its innovative programming. A particular highlight came in 2002 when the chorus performed Kurt Weill’s Der Lindberghflug alongside works by Philip Glass, Meredith Monk and David Lang. The concert was presented in the East Bay on the aircraft carrier Hornet and in San Francisco in the newly constructed Aviation Museum at SFO. The 3rd concert set each year is an all a cappella ‘pops’ concert featuring the group in various formations from 2 up to 50, performing arrangements of jazz, pop, rock, & folk tunes.
The Grand Rapids Symphony is a professional orchestra located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1930, the Symphony celebrated 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 Grand 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.
Leeds Philharmonic Chorus is a leading choir in Europe, regularly performing to professional standards with internationally renowned soloists, orchestras and conductors.
Beverly Wolff was an American mezzo-soprano who had an active career in concerts and operas from the early 1950s to the early 1980s. She performed a broad repertoire which encompassed operatic and concert works in many languages and from a variety of musical periods. She was a champion of new works, notably premiering compositions by Leonard Bernstein, Gian Carlo Menotti, Douglas Moore, and Ned Rorem among other American composers. She also performed in a number of rarely heard baroque operas by George Frideric Handel with the New York City Opera (NYCO), the Handel Society of New York, and at the Kennedy Center Handel Festivals.
The Philharmonia Chorus is an independent self-governing symphony chorus based in London, UK. Since its foundation in 1957 the Chorus has given over 900 concerts and made over 100 recordings. The Chorus Master is Gavin Carr.
The Crossing is an American professional chamber choir, conducted by Donald Nally and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It focuses on new music, commission and premiere works, and collaborates with various venues and instrumental ensembles.
Betty Allen was an American operatic mezzo-soprano who had an active international singing career during the 1950s through the 1970s. In the latter part of her career her voice acquired a contralto-like darkening, which can be heard on her recording of Sergei Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with conductor Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was known for her collaborations with American composers, such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, David Diamond, Ned Rorem, and Virgil Thomson among others.
Lunatics at Large is a New Music chamber ensemble based in New York City. It was formed in 2007 to explore the repertoire for mixed chamber combinations beginning with Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire, op. 21. Lunatics at Large is a Pierrot ensemble augmented with soprano and viola.
The Handel Society of New York (HSNY) was a New York City based musical organization that presented concert and semi-staged performances of operas and oratorios by George Frideric Handel from 1966-1974. The group mainly performed out of Carnegie Hall and was responsible for presenting the American and New York premieres of several works by Handel. The ensemble was also the first to record many of these works; releasing several LPs for RCA and Westminster Records.
Monmouth Civic Chorus is a community chorus in Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA. Monmouth Civic Chorus was established in 1949 and draws its members primarily from the Monmouth County community. Its performances encompass choral classics, premieres, rare and contemporary music, musical theater, opera, and operetta. Monmouth Civic Chorus has performed on tour in Europe and the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
The Mass in D by Ethel Smyth is a setting of the mass ordinary for vocal soloists, choir and orchestra, first performed in 1893.
David Randolph was an American conductor, music educator and radio host. He is best known as the music director from 1965 through 2010 of the St. Cecilia Chorus and as the host of Music for the Connoisseur, later known as The David Randolph Concerts, a WNYC classical music radio program nationally syndicated in the United States.
Thomas Paul is an American bass and voice teacher who had an active performance career during the second half of the 20th century. While more frequently heard in oratorios and other concert literature, Paul also appeared in operas during his career with companies like the New York City Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and Washington National Opera. In 1964 he created the role of Jack Spaniard in the world premiere of Robert Ward's The Lady From Colorado at the Central City Opera. In 1976 he portrayed Jared Bilby in the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd's Bilby's Doll at the Houston Grand Opera. He was a full time professor of voice at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester from 1973 through 1998, and also taught at the Aspen Music Festival and School.