Oratorio Society of New York Postpones 11/5 Carnegie Hall Concert

Due to circumstances related to the ongoing problems caused by Hurricane Sandy, the Oratorio Society of New York is postponing its Carnegie Hall concert of Monday, November 5, to an early 2013 date to be determined.

The concert, titled “American Voices,” which was to launch the Oratorio Society’s 140th anniversary season, was to feature the New York premiere of Paul Moravec’s oratorio The Blizzard Voices, a work about the Great Plains blizzard of 1888, led by OSNY Music Director Kent Tritle with vocal soloists sopranos Susanna Phillips and Maeve Höglund, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein, tenor Aaron Blake, baritone Jonathan Estabrooks, and bass Kevin Deas. Works by Ives and Copland were to be led by OSNY Assistant Conductor David Rosenmeyer.

“While the biggest storm of this century has pre-empted The Blizzard Voices, we look forward to performing it for our New York audience later this season – and returning to Carnegie Hall next month for our annual Christmastime performance of Handel’s Messiah,” said Kent Tritle.

Patrons who purchased tickets through CarnegieCharge or carnegiehall.org should retain their tickets which will be honored at the rescheduled performance. Ticketholders may direct questions to CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800. Those who purchased their tickets through the Oratorio Society will be contacted by the Society; they may reach the Oratorio Society at 212-400-7255.

The OSNY 140th anniversary season at Carnegie Hall continues on December 17 with one of New York’s most enduring and popular holiday traditions, the performance of Handel’s Messiah. Kent Tritle will lead the chorus, orchestra, and soloists—soprano Nacole Palmer (2012 Oratorio-Solo Competition prize winner), mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn, tenor Matthew Garrett, and baritone Philip Cutlip. (Garrett and Cutlip are also former Competition winners.) The OSNY’s concert season at Carnegie Hall will also feature a April 22, 2013, performance of the monumental War Requiem by Benjamin Britten, in commemoration of Britten’s centennial year. Soloists are soprano Emalie Savoy, tenor John Matthew Myers, and baritone Jesse Blumberg and the Children of the Cathedral Choir of St. John the Divine.

The Oratorio Society of New York presented its first concert on December 3, 1873, performed at the opening festival of Carnegie Hall, conducted by Tchaikovsky, in May 1891, and in the years since has become the city’s standard for grand choral performance. Founded in 1873 by Leopold Damrosch, the Society is the city's second oldest cultural organization. For more information, visit www.oratoriosocietyofny.org.